The Brute Stars
by Rayna Santosa
Summary: It tells another side of Hunger Games. What will happen if Cato-Clove won instead of Katniss-Peeta? Will there any rebellions toward Snow? Who will be the Mockingjay? And what will happen to the future Hunger Games? Find out the answers here. I also made the Indonesian Version, same title, same author. Cato x Clove, Clove and Cato
1. The Training Center

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

**Well, this is my first fanfict. Feel free to read, comment and review. Please forgive my awful grammars and vocabularies :( I'm not a native English speaker.**

Chapter 1

The fire is dancing in the fireplace. The last week of winter was always the hardest time to face in District 2. I rub my hands together to warm myself. It's 2 o'clock in the morning, and there's no sign that my parents would come back soon. I sigh, lock the door and going upstairs, crawling into my cold bed under my warm blanket.

I was late. It's all because I have to stay awake, waiting my parents like a cat waiting for his master to get feed. Those malaria disease must have spread badly in District 4, which means my parents wouldn't come back in two or three days. Leaving me alone, again.

I'm going downstairs, getting ready for training. I have to train extremely harder for Hunger Games next week, and I was hoping that my name would picked as tribute. If not, I will volunteering myself and compete with the other kids that want to do so. I pick my coat and wear my old boots and going through thick snow to the Training Center.

The Training Center has become so crowded and Trainer Dome, shout at me for being late for ten minutes. I didn't notice anything he said and went to my favorite station, knives throwing. Those beautiful metals have wait being threw, lining on an aluminum rack on the corner. I gained my full concentration to my targets, those mannequin dolls. They are stay in place at first, but move faster and faster all the time. Two knives were threw and one of them missed, make me mad and throw another knife that stuck on its face.

"You won't make it with anger, Clove."

My head turns around, staring at the blond haired boy who has any courage to criticize me. I hold my last knife on my sweaty hand.

"No one asking for your opinion, Cato."

I set my legs as I lift my hand, ready to throw my last target which moves the fastest. I take a deep breath, imagine that doll is my enemy in the arena. My knife was stuck exactly on its heart. But it was not threw by my hand. But Cato's.

He smiles, like saying "Hey, did you see that? I'm better than you.". I really want to punch his face, making his blue sea eyes swelled. But I'd choose not to do that, and going somewhere else. I'm avoid the sword station because I do know, Cato will make me more embarrassed there.

**So, that was it! They may become rival at the first time, but everything will change through the whole story. This is not a propo, I'm just a big fan of them. Please let me know how you thought of it in comments and reviews. Go team Clato!**

**xoxo**


	2. The Reaping

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

**Once again, forgive my awful grammars and vocabularies, I'm not a native English speaker.**

Chapter 2

"Ladies first!" Vega stirs the glass bowl with the girls' names. She pulls out an envelope, show it in front of the crowd and saying the name inside it out loud.

"The female tribute from District 2, Clove Arvanite!"

I walk forward. Some girls stare at me and I stare back to them with wolf-like look. My parents didn't move from where they are now, their eyes follow me until I'm in top of the podium, watching thousands of people that were not too important to look for.

"And now, for the boys." my eyes are following her hands stirring the other bowl. She really makes it so long and I've being grilled by the sunlight right now. It makes me want to grab her bright yellow wig and pull her off, picking a name who will become my partner at 74th Hunger Games by myself.

"The male tribute for District 2, Calvin McGaire!"

I'm looking at the skinny boy who wears glasses, moving from the crowd. I have seen that boy once at the Training Center, and he was absolutely bad. He never approach his running goal, and I'd saw him training with the bow and his shot was missed and shot our trainer. Damn it! Why I should enter the arena with this dreadful boy?

"I volunteer as tribute!" the boy next to Calvin raises his hand. That boy is taller and bigger than him, and I still recognizing his arrogant face.

"Oh, great! What is your name?" Vega asks in her Capitol accents that make me sick. Her words sound like she is flirting.

"Cato Crowley." he stares at me in an unidentified look. What's wrong with this guy? Does he really want to kill me so bad?

"And here we are, our tributes from District 2, Cato Crowley and Clove Arvanite!" Vega grabs our hands and raises them to the air. I gave the crowd my most arrogant face. And then, the Peacekeepers take us into a small room under the podium, there you will meet your family or friends maybe for the last time. There are two doors there and I pick the right one, which lead me into a small, stuffy room that only has some lights form holes in the wall. I sat down on a dusty chair, waiting for everyone who might come, which is I believe in surely, nobody. I don't have many friends here.

The door is open, and my parents come in. They hug me and say how proud they are. They said I have to win, and of course I will. I won't die in the arena. Never.

**See you on the next chapter. :)**


	3. I Want To See The Stars

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

**I want to say thank you for whoever reads this fanfict, I've get great amount of views since the first chapter. Thank you so much and I hope you will always enjoy this story until the end chapter, and please forgive my awful grammars and vocabularies, I'm not a native English speaker.**

Chapter 3

I sat uncomfortably next to Cato, we were waiting for Vega calls our mentors in the other trolley. Because I'm getting bored, I decide to do a little walk around the windows, watching outside. It moves too fast that makes my head spinning. Cato still sits on his chair, and I can't pretending that I don't care anymore.

"What?!" I shout at him.

"Are you nervous, Clove?" he asks in very calm voice, very different from mine.

"Absolutely not!"

"Why are you looking so uncomfortable, then?"

"Because you stare at me like that!" I'm moving forward, grab his rumpled, faded shirt, "I warn you, I'm not like the other girls out there. I can kill you, and I will kill you!"

"You can't kill anyone in this train, young lady." Vega's voice surprises me, she'd come back with a man and a woman behind her. I back to my seat, lay my back down at my chair's back, my hands folded. That's how I say that I'm angry right now.

"I'll introduce you to your mentors, Achilles and Hera." she points at a man and women who sit in her left. They were victors of the 72nd and 73rd Hunger Games. One of what District 2's proud of. I still remember how Hera killed her last enemy last year. She was so brutal, so cruel, and such a strong survivor. She didn't stop hitting her enemy's head with a large stone even he was already died until the Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane asked her to stop.

Along the way to Capitol, I didn't say many word, but Cato did. He asked about the surviving skills and war strategies. What I can get from that conversation is, we only have two choices, killing or being killed. We have to finish the game as fast as we can, kill as many tribute as we can every single day. Gamemakers may put something into the arena to make the show more interesting, but we have to be more clever and faster than them. Use every second in our time to kill and rest, don't eat too much because it'll make us run slower. Besides, a hungry stomach adds another passion on hunting.

After dinner, I get into my room, take a bath, and change my dirty clothes with a nice one from Capitol. I dry my hair and brush it and then going outside to get some fresh air. I walk until the last trolley, where I found someone has sat there already, near a window. He watches outside and seems doesn't know that I'm here. I slam the door that makes him startled.

"Good evening, Clove."

"What are you doing here?" I ask him in a high voice.

"Only looking around. We can't see this every day, right?"

"It's just railway."

"I know. However, our times were out for training and training. I even don't remember the last time I saw those stars."

The stars? That's the sillies thing I ever heard. What's the point, by the way? They won't make you stronger, or even look back at you.

However, I walk forward. I've decide that Cato is harmless for now. He doesn't have sword in hand and so do I, but I still can beat him with my bare hands if he plans to attack me. I sit in a soft, comfy sofa across him. Stare at Cato's wide back that maybe twice larger from mine.

"How it feels? Watching those stars?" I ask.

Cato's head turns around, his eyes say that he doesn't believe I just speak to him calmly, and honestly, I didn't expect that too. He change his position and face me, his hands behind his head and he looks up at the ceiling.

"It's like, you saw your hopes and secrets there. You know, everything that you couldn't share with anyone, or trusted them to anybody. You saw them save in the sky when you're trying to reach them one day. They may gone when the sun rises, but will come back again at night. Like hopes that gone sometimes, but raises again the other day." he stares at me and I didn't understand any single words he said. It's too poetic for a Career.

"But it's not always like that, Clove. You will found your own feeling one day."

I just raise my brows, and watching the railway. We'll arrive at Capitol soon, and maybe I will forget everything he says today. However, there's something inside my heart, something that asks me to watch those stars on my own.

**At this point, Clove don't have any feeling to Cato yet, it's not that easy to win her heart over, you know! Tee hee**

**See you on the next chapter and don't forget to review. Thank you! Go team Clato!**

**xoxo**


	4. First Kiss

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

**Thank you so much for the views. I didn't expect that my first fanfict would get so much attentions from all of you. So, here it is the 4th Chapter. Hope you enjoy it and always forgive my awful English.**

Chapter 4

Capitol's Training Center is bigger than in District 2. Many kinds of knives with sharp tips are waiting to be thrown. Cato has busy with his favorite station: swords. He swings his swords and slices those mannequins around him. I already can tell that he's a brute, his skills are incredible, but I rather not to say that to him.

I take a full concentration to my targets, with two knives in each hand. I throw at my targets passionately. All of my knives were completely stuck on them, it's better than my training back home.

Cato asks me to try the climbing station with him. We are lining with the other tributes that want to do so. So far, I didn't see any dangerous tribute that I should afraid of except Cato and a big guy from 11. The Career pack from District 1, Marvel and Glimmer can't use any weapon, and the Careers from District 4 are only two kids that scared just by looking into my eyes.

When we are lining, Peeta, the male tribute from 12 get his turn. I'm looking for his partner, Katniss, who got a big applause from the audience at the Tribute Parade. She never touches a weapon, or even trying to climb as we do. She's just staying in surviving station. I can't figure out what she can do, or maybe she's just as bad as her partner who felt down after climbing for three steps. Cato, Glimmer, Marvel, and I just laugh at him.

After that, Katniss is out from her place for the first time and goes for Peeta. She whispers something to him that makes him stare at us. He took a metal ball that use to be the lifting weight. I'm not sure he can even lift it up for an inch or two, but, what I saw was out of my expectations, he threw that ball to a rack of spear that Marvel did use for training. Those spears were falling off the ground, and I heard some broken metal sounds.

When we are having our dinner, Vega tells us that we should prepare our best for our private session. Achilles believes in our skills, but Hera warns us not to do any foolish thing in there. Because we are from District 2, we will called after Marvel and Glimmer. We should give Gamemakers the best show, which is just a piece of cake for me.

Suddenly, Vega's annoying voice complains about how we don't have any desserts. She said it's totally unfair compared to our friends who live in the 12th floor. I ignore her, and eat my corn soup with warm wheat breads, a glass of orange juice and a pear. Such a big portion for my small body.

I can't sleep that night. I just roll from a side of my bed to another. My eyes are wide open, and I kick my blanket because I'm so stress out. Finally, I'd giving up and swing my legs off the bed, open my room's door very slowly and walk out. I passed the TV's room to the balcony. The doors are open and someone is standing there wearing grey jacket.

"You can't sleep too?" I shake my head. Cato comes over and grabs my wrist, and brings me to where he was standing before. He points a spot in the night sky.

"Do you see that? It calls Vega. It's one of the brightest stars."

My eyes following where his finger was point to, and I see a blinking star that has a brighter light than the others. It's so beautiful.

"I think our Vega was not that bright." I hissed, while my eyes still staring the night sky in cold Capitol night wind.

Cato takes off his jacket and put it on me. I'm so confused for everything he did to me, and he never do the same thing that I did to him. He's so different from the Cato that I saw in the Training Center, so brutal, arrogant, and seems to be a blood thirsty person. He's so gentle right now, like rubbing a small white rabbit.

"Why did you volunteer, Cato?"

"Because I want to keep you alive."

His answer surprises me. We were not trained to become a guardian, we were trained to become a fighter.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I want to make sure that you won the game, Clove. It's up to you how you will take that." he stares at me. Our eyes met. I saw my reflection on his eyes as if I'm looking straight into a mirror, and I saw my confused face there.

Slow but sure, Cato's night sea eyes come closer. His nose tip touches mine. I felt his warm and full lips met my thin and cold ones. Everything was so fast, as fast as that kiss gone.

**Ok, that was a kiss. But still, Cato didn't win her heart over yet. It needs more than a romantic night.**

**See you on the next chapter. Go team Clato!**

**xoxo**


	5. Reminiscence

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

**Thank you for your reviews. I'm so happy when I see it. Actually, my whole body was shaking. :')**

**As always, forgive my awful English. I'd tried my best. :(**

Chapter 5

The Gamemakers gave me a rich applause and stand up from their seat. They praise me for my wonderful knives throwing skill. I could beat those five hologram humans who attack me with trident in a single shot. I give them an elegant bow like Hera said. It was very important to make them amazed, so they will give me a high score.

I'm walking out from the judging room to the elevator by myself, and then press a button to my floor. Cato had done about an hour ago.

"So, how was it?" Petra -my stylist- welcoming me in our apartment door.

"Not bad. I almost lost my last target but it was okay."

"I know you are the best knives thrower, Honey." Petra rubs my cheek and walk like a model to the living room.

I go to my room, lock it, take off my training suit and having shower in warm water and rose-scented foam while I'm thinking about last night. What did I do last night? Did I kiss Cato? No, Cato did, but I enjoying his lips on mine. I think I'd kissed him that way. So, why I kissed him? He is my enemy! He always be my enemy even we are from the same district.

I close my eyes and I feel warm water cleaning foams though my body. I should push him off, maybe I should run and lock myself in my room last night. But why I didn't do that? I felt my heart beating abnormally when he came closer. I wanted to run but I couldn't. Something inside me told me to stay. And when he kissed me I didn't think about anything else, even the fact that I have to kill him. There was something strange going on me, it was cold and hot at the same time. When the kiss had gone, I saw Cato as a different person. My lips' corners were curved up and I couldn't control it. For the first time in my life, I smile.

Maybe there's something that growing up secretly inside me. Something that slept for a long time and waiting for a perfect time to wake up. Last night was that perfect time. It reveals another side of me, something that I even didn't know.

After having a shower, I'm drying my body and hair. Then, I choose a light blue shirt and black trousers from the wardrobe and put it on. I tied my hair up in a high ponytail. Suddenly, there's knock on the door and Vega's high pitched voice asks me to come to living room.

The parade show just finish when I'm walking in. I sit next to Hera and I spotted Cato sits next to Petra. I felt my heart beating abnormally again. It beats so fast that I can feel strange pulse in my chest. Cato is still on his position. His hands are fold on his chest and his eyes are on TV. Right now, I'm the one who stare at him, exploring every inches of his body with my eyes. I move my eyes to the TV after I realize what I am doing.

The screen flashes and Caesar Flickerman appears to announce our score in private session. I hold my breath when I'm waiting for my score. Glimmer and Marvel's showed first, and then Cato's. He got ten. Finally, it's mine, I got ten. Not bad.

Achilles, Hera, Vega and Petra stand up and give us rich applause. Our scores are the highest so far.

Achilles lifts his glass up and cheers for Cato and me. I'm set my eyes back to the TV, the announcement is almost over. Only two scores left from District 12's tributes. Then, the screen shows Peeta's score, he got eight. Maybe he threw those metal balls to Gamemakers head or something. Hera laughs at him, saying that we should not ask him for our ally.

And then, there is a sudden silence in that room. I feel my head burns up. We saw the last tribute's score, Katniss. She got eleven. Eleven! I shout at myself. She must not an ordinary girl who capable to make traps. She must able to use a weapon, but what's that? What did her drunken mentor told her? What kind of strategies she has?

I'm looking without a right focus on the floor. My hands are squeezing my seat and my face should turn red by now. That girl will be in my top list of tributes who I want to kill first.

At night, I'm getting ready for the interview. My preps team has been busy since afternoon. They draw some small fire on my nails, doing make up on me, and do my hair in a simple hair crown and let a small part of it laid freely on my bare shoulders. Petra made me a peach colored flowing strapless dress with lots of ruffles on my chest. Petra's assistants help me to put on a pair of matching high heels, and ask me to spin.

"Perfect!" Petra does the final touches on my hair and pull out my flipped dress under my feet.

"I don't know, Petra. This dress makes me look so… weak."

"That's the point, Darling. Do you remember Johanna Mason? Victor from District 7? Everyone thinks that she's just a weak girl until they realize who she is."

Maybe I can make all Capitol's citizen thinks that I'm just a sweet, weak girl. But, not with the tributes. They already saw what I could do and now I regret it. I should not let anyone knows about my skills and kept it for the private session. Looking on the bright side, they will think twice before decide to attack me first.

Petra asks me to lining behind the stage. I stand between Marvel and Cato. We are watching Glimmer's interview from the big plasma screen. She walks in jumpy way that makes her dress bouncing up and down. I rolled my eyes, and promise to myself that I won't do that silly thing on stage.

**Okay, everything will getting hotter from now. Clove has her target, and she wouldn't let her go. Watch out, Katniss Everdeen! hahaha...**

**Well, sorry about that. Now I feel very embarrassed. Maybe I will go back to my cave right now.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you on the next one. Go team Clato!**

**xoxo**


	6. Bloodbath

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

Chapter 6

Ten… nine… eight… I saw a set of shiny metals in the mouth of Cornucopia. It's for me, I should get it, five… four… I saw Peeta shake his head to Katniss, I don't know what they are planning to, two… I'm preparing to run. One!

I run as fast as I can toward my knives and tied them on my waist.

I run inside Cornucopia and take a sword that hanging on the wall, then put it safely next to my knives. I have enough weapons for now. Marvel and Glimmer have been busy with cutting and shooting arrows. I'm searching for everyone I could kill, and I saw the boy from District 9 trying to snatch an orange backpack from Katniss.

Katniss! I take out my knife and stab the boy from 9's back. Finally, there's nobody between me and Katniss. She sits on the ground, no weapon with her. I smiled, and take my toothed knife. I see terror on her face as my knife flying towards her. She lifts her backpack and my knife stabs on it. She runs into the woods with it. I don't chase her, maybe not right now. I can't leave those good weapons for chasing her.

I'm joining Glimmer and Marvel behind Cornucopia. I killed a dark brown haired girl and her partner from District 7 by cutting down their throat. I kept swinging my knife and kill every moving objects except my allies. The boy from District 3, Zach, fall accidentally in front of my feet. I kick him and pinned him down.

"Please, don't kill me." his chest is moving up and down very fast. I can feel his heartbeat under my knee. He looks at the curved-tip knife in my hand fearfully.

"Clove, no!" Cato holds my hand, "We need him as ally."

"What? You want him as ally?" Cato must be kidding. This boy isn't better than Calvin McGaire.

"He's from District 3. They can do bombs and explosives. Trust me!" Cato helps Zach to stand up. I leave them and looking for another tribute to kill. But, there were nothing left in Cornucopia except Cato, Glimmer, Marvel, Zach, and me.

We gather up and making plans. First, we have to keep our supplies. Everything left become ours, all those weapons and foods. Zach's task is to activate mines around us but also make sure that we have a safe way to access it without exploded into pieces. Then, he have to kept those supplies save while the Careers hunting down the tributes.

We decided to take a rest that night and going for hunting tomorrow. As always, I can't sleep. I just stare at that thick dark forest in front of me. Cato has make fire, but it's not warm enough for me. Therefore, I take a sleeping bag inside Cornucopia and wrap myself in it.

"What a day!" Cato sits next to me. He rubs his hands together and blows some hot breath between them.

"How many are dead?"

"Eleven, maybe twelve. I can't hear the cannon very well."

"Me too." I looked at the starless night sky, "I will go for Katniss tomorrow."

"We have to find Peeta first." Cato hissed. Marvel and Glimmer had slept next to their weapons.

"Why?"

"He will help us to find Katniss. I will ask him as an ally."

"What makes you think he wants to?"

"I saw him leaving Cornucopia with nothing. How long he will survive without any supplies and protections?"

"He won't help us. Katniss is his district partner, remember? I heard Peeta loves her too."

"Katniss beats him up after his love pronouncement at his interview. It may make a sense. This is Hunger Games, right? We have to kill each other."

Yes, Cato is absolutely right. This is Hunger Games. Sooner or later I have to kill him too. This alliance will not be forever, we have to do this if we want to live longer. If Cato and I still alive until the finale, it means we have to kill each other. There's something inside me that refuses it. Something that says, "You shouldn't kill him, Clove!"

**Why are you so complicated, Clove? What do you really want?**

**By the way, thank you so much for the reviews, guys. You really made my day! :)**

**See you on the next chapter. Go team Clato!**

**xoxo**


	7. Jealousy

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

**Sorry for the delay. I got a bad headache yesterday so I can't finish off this chapter. I usually posted a new chapter around 8-9 a.m on GMT +7 time zone. So it might causes some issues. As my apology, I posted two chapters instead of one. I hope you like it. :)**

Chapter 7

Sunlight blinding my eyes, I was lying on the grass. Cato has been up and puts our campfire off. Glimmer stares at him just like I was. She hugs her knees and her bow is hanging on her shoulder. Marvel sits next to her, he'd choose a spear and a sword to be brought.

"Come on, Clove. It's hunting time!" Cato gave me my knives set and sword. He must had take them off while I was sleep.

We walked to the woods. There's only one thing inside my mind, killing Katniss, and whoever dies after that wouldn't be a problem. We walked deeper and deeper into the woods, take a few rest to breath. We didn't meet anyone until the sun goes down. I was so upset and so do my knives. They have been waiting for a long time to be thrown.

Finally, we decided to back to Cornucopia. I walked at the front and Cato protects us from behind. After we walked for a while, I saw a hazy fire light not far from us. I lead my allies to it, hoping that we will find someone to kill.

Suddenly, something heavy bumped on my left side. I fell and my knives set were flying off my waist. Cato takes out his sword and Glimmer takes her bow. They're preparing to kill my attacker.

Cato walks towards my attacker, that boy is shorter than him. He's weaponless, and I can see his grey blonde hair clearly in the dark.

"Watch your step, Lover Boy!" Cato points him with his sword. Then, he turns around and helps me to stand up. I take my knives up and tied it tighter this time. I'm not going to let it fall again.

"Do you want to join us, Lover Boy?" Cato asks him.

Peeta is still on shock. He didn't move his lips until I shout at him.

"We don't have much time, Lover Boy! You want or not?!"

He seems to say something, but I cut his words. "But you have to help us finding Katniss."

His eyes enlarged, and he blinks several times very fast. Finally, he nods without saying any word. Marvel gave him his spear so that he has something to grab on beside his pockets.

Later, I remember that hazy fire light I saw before Peeta bumped into me. That's it! In our left, where Peeta used to come out. I point there and Cato runs toward someone who stupid enough to make a fire at night, when the Careers are hunting.

"No! Please don't kill me!" the blonde haired girl from District 8 begged on our knees. It's too late for her to run. Cato slices off her throat and red thick blood flows down toward her shoulder. Cato sweeps her blood from his sword with her jacket. The cannon booms and we left.

It was almost midnight when we arrived in Cornucopia. Zach has asleep in his place. Glimmer wakes him up rudely and asks him to back on guard when we're sleeping.

"So, it's thirteen now." said Cato. He handed me an apple, "Eat it. You haven't eat anything this whole day."

I ate the apple while watching Peeta make a campfire, the juice flowing down my chin. Today is not good enough for me. I swear Hera and Achilles curse us outside the arena because we can't do what they told us : killing as many tributes as we can every single day. These tributes are so clever and great at hiding, and I must admit that we wouldn't meet anyone if Peeta didn't bumped on me and that girl was making fire.

"Cato."

"Hmm?" Cato burns the tip of his sword on fire.

"What if none of us won?" I hissed.

"I'm going to make sure that's not happen." he glanced at Marvel and Glimmer who had asleep, "After we'd kill Katniss, we will leave them. I don't think they will survived without us. Have you seen Glimmer shoots? It's always missed.

I smile, but there's another fear coming. After we'd kill Katniss and separated from Glimmer and Marvel, who will be our next target? What if there's only two of us? Who is going to kill each other first? This silly thought comes again, I can't kill Cato, I don't want to.

I can't sleep for the rest of the night. Zach, who's on guard, had snore. When the night sky become brighter, I walk to a crystal clear lake near the Cornucopia and wash my face on it. The water is so refreshing. I released my ponytail and sunk my head inside the lake.

When I took my head out, I smell something like burning leaves. It's just a hazy smell, but I know there's somewhere deep in the woods has burnt. I looked around and I saw thick crazy grey smoke inside the woods.

"Clove! Clove!" Cato's voice echoing from distance. I run toward Cornucopia and tied my wet hair up. I bumped into Cato who run towards me. He hugs me and he looks so freaking out.

"I thought someone got you when I was sleeping." he hisses in my ear.

"I'm alright." I push him off and pointed to the thick smoke, "Look!"

Cato grabs my wrist, and we run to the Cornucopia. He takes his sword, and I take mine too. "Let's go there! Quick!" he shouts at Marvel and Glimmer, and then shook Zach' body, "Wake up, Zach!"

"Go where?" Glimmer took her bow and hang it on her shoulder.

"That crazy smoke!" Cato said while running.

"Run faster, Lover Boy!" I shout at Peeta.

We follow the river to find the burned woods. It's on the other side of the river and it is too deep to swim. We walked down the edge of the river, jumping on some slippery stones, and stop a while to take a deep breath.

The river that we've been through getting more shallow, and then I heard something heavy fell into the water.

"Oh, look! There she is!" Marvel shouts happily. Katniss shocked and go out of the water. Her right leg limp, but she was still able to run quickly to the other side of the woods. We crossed a shallow river and chase while teasing her.

"What are you doing, Baby?" Cato shouted, his sword shining in the sunlight.

Katniss climbs a big tree near her. We stopped under it, panting. Cato climbs for her.

"Kill her, Cato!" I shout.

"Get her, Cato!" Glimmer shouts louder.

There's a cracking sounds and Cato fell off the ground. Glimmer tries to shoot Katniss and missed far away on her left.

"Maybe you have to throw the sword!" Katniss said in 25 meters above us.

"Oh, let her stay up there." Peeta said, "It's not like she's going anywhere." We all looked at him. This guy must has hate Katniss so much that he didn't care if we kill her. He's right, Katniss won't go anywhere with her limping leg.

"Okay, somebody make a fire." Cato said.

I looked around, it was getting dark. Though it seems that the sun rises not long ago. I sit and watch Peeta making a campfire under the tree. The night comes quickly, or I thought so.

We gather up around the campfire. Cato burns the tip of his sword again, spit on it and Glimmer laugh next to him. I change my position so I'm not facing them. A lizard crosses in front of me and I throw my knife at it to show off my anger because of my failure to kill Katniss today. My knife stuck on its tail. That reptile screams in silence and I throw another knife on its head, which is killing it. I don't know why but suddenly I imagine that lizard as Glimmer. She's leaning her head on Cato's tight, and it would be nice if I slice her throat off now so I can lean my head instead.

Damn it! What was I'm thinking? I thought of sleeping on Cato's tight? What a fool! He's my enemy! He's just my ally. He's my district partner. He was someone who kissed me in the balcony.

I shook my head and pull out my knife and wiped that stink reptile's blood with dry leaves around me. I keep one of it on its place, and laying my body down, I'm trying to sleep with a knife in my right hand. Cato will stay on guard tonight, with Glimmer. Yes, with her, not me. I push off this strange feeling and close my eyes.

**Go to the next chapter... :)**


	8. Tracker Jacker

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

Chapter 8

I was still dreaming when I heard a buzzing sound above my head. It's come closer and lauder. Something bites my wrist and I ran spontaneously. That's Tracker Jacker! I run as fast as I can and moving my hands to keep those killer wasps away from my ears. There's another bite on my neck and I heard Glimmer asking for help. I keep running, it's more important to save my life.

"To the lake!" I heard Cato's voice between his panting breath. Those wasps chase us, they must thinking that it was us who broke their nest. I know it was Katniss. Who else sat up there except her?

"Clove! Clove!" Cato reaches my hand and we jump into the lake together. I don't know how he knows that I can't swim. If Cato doesn't hold me right now, I will drown right by now.

We were waiting for a while under water. From the crystal clear lake I see those wasps gone. Maybe they have tired waiting for us, or maybe they thought that we died. Then, Cato lifted me up and brought me to swim to the edge of the lake. Marvel has already sat there waiting for us and Glimmer must have died.

"Where's Peeta?" I asked.

Marvel shrugged, a side of his cheek swollen and there is a small black spot there. I felt my neck getting bigger too, everything around me starting to spin. I felt the soil under my feet become wavy and bouncy, sometimes it feels too soft. My grab on Cato's muscular arm become weaker and weaker.

Cato and Marvel help me to go to Cornucopia. I saw three small boys who have identical faces. They are all look like Peeta. They are fighting with Zach and take his spear when suddenly another three boys who have Cato's face scratch their tights. They beat each other, rolling on the ground and Peeta's three twins escaped. Everything goes dark and I can't feel anything.

"Clove?" I felt my body being shaken. I respond by lifting my hand. I smell wet grass under my nose and I look up to the golden Cornucopia's ceiling. It has some bubbles on it and I see something inside the bubbles peeking out. Those bubbles cracked open and hundreds of Tracker Jacker come over me who lying powerless on the ground. Suddenly, those wasps become a big hand and rubs my neck. I feel a nice cold sensation in their sting marks. Along with the reduced pain, I fell asleep.

How long was I asleep? Maybe for a long time because it was dark and the fire has made. I crawling out the mouth of Cornucopia and looking up watchfully into the metal ceiling above me. There's no cracking mark, which is a proof that I was hallucinating.

"I will kill her." I heard Marvel hissing.

"No, Katniss is Clove's target."

Marvel looked over Cato's shoulder and saw me walking staggered and trying to reach Cato's shoulder for support. I sat in front of the warm fire. It's getting colder now, maybe the Gamemakers lowering the temperature at night to torment us, forcing us to make a fire that will attracting our enemies. But, there's no one that stupid enough to attack us.

The anthem begins to play. Glimmer's face show up in the sky, and then the boy from 10. So, there are only nine left. Four of us in Cornucopia, Peeta with his limped leg and maybe he's dying right now, Rue, a little girl from District 11 and her partner, Thresh, the girl from 5 and Katniss who full of surprises.

Katniss, it seems the odds are in your favor.

**See you on the next chapter. I hope you like it as I do! Tee hee...**

**Go team Clato!**

**xoxo**


	9. The Real Hunger Games

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything**

Chapter 9

Cato shook my body, I wake up with knife on hand. I'm wondering who are attacking us this early. But, Cato points into a small thick smoke, but that's not as much as the burned woods. It's just like a little smoke from a campfire. Somebody has made it, that means, there is another stupid tribute that makes fire.

Without any commands, me, Marvel, and Cato runs toward the smoke. We left Zach to keep our supplies, and make sure he's not asleep this time. We ran through the woods, dispel the dense branches that blocking our way. Hera was right, the hunger gives an extra passion on hunting.

When we there, we only find some woods stacked to form a cone covered with wet leaves which produces that crazy smoke.

"I's a trap!" I shouted at Cato. He's so frustrated like me.

We were startled by a large explosion sound. It's not a cannon booms, but it's more like an explosive booms. I'm thinking about those mines around our supplies.

"Damn it!" Cato shouts, "You find out who did this, Clove and I back to Cornucopia."

Marvel runs immediately, while Cato and I back to Cornucopia. When we're there, we found that our supplies has been destroyed and burned. Zach runs from somewhere, bringing his spear. He's as confused as us.

"Who did this?!" Cato shouts at him. Zach' face turning pale and his pupils shrink.

"I-I-I don't know. I was chasing the girl from 5. She stole our supplies."

"And you left this place?!" I yelled at him. He scared to death. He looked at me and Cato over and over.

"You fool!" With a quick movements Cato twisted his neck and I heard her collarbone broken. Zach becomes so quite, motionless on the ground until the aircraft take his lifeless body. The cannon booms, and not long after that another two booms in very close time. Two more tributes were killed.

"Who's dead this time?" I asked.

"Maybe Peeta, he's out of blood and died. The other one must be Katniss, maybe she is dead because of the Tracker Jacker venom. She wouldn't survive without any medicines.

If so, then our next target is the pair from District 11, the red-haired girl from District 5 and the last one is Marvel. The horror going through me, how I'm going to kill Cato afterwards?

"We have to rest, Clove. This game is getting harder by now. "

I'm laying on the grass, looking at the night sky with millions of stars. But, there's no star that shines more brightly. It's been a long time since I saw it in the Capitol. My mind is filled with killing passion. Then my view is blocked by Marvel's picture displayed in the sky.

I stare at Cato who lying next to me. When I looked at the next picture shows in sky after Zach'. It was not Katniss or Peeta, but Rue.

"Cato, she's alive." I hissed.

Claudius Templesmith's voice broke the silence. He announces something that makes my heart beating abnormally again.

"Congratulation to the six remains tributes. There will be a little change on our rule. Both tributes from the same district will be declared winners if they are the last two alive." Claudius pauses, "May the odds be ever in your favor."

Before Cato can do anything, I hug him tightly. I don't know why I'm so happy that we can going home together, I can keep him alive, I don't have to kill him.


	10. Stay With Me

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything**

**Yay! The 10th chapter! I don't know why but I'm so happy. Maybe it's all because of your supports. Okay, enjoy this chapter and don't hesitate to reviews and let me know how you thought of this fanfict so far. :)**

Chapter 10

Because of Zach' carelessness, we have to gather our own food that morning. There's no many things can be collected and we don't want to take any risk by going deeper in the woods, because it can be a good place for the remaining tributes to hide and attacked us.

I killed a fat rabbit after my knife stuck on its heart. Cato collects some berries near the lake and killed a wild turkey that passing by. We split our food, cooking the rabbit and turkey, and we agreed to keep the turkey for tomorrow and eat the berries for dinner. We make our camp under a big tree with thick leaves near the lake.

Nobody dies that day. Maybe the tributes are more careful right now. I go to the lake to filling up some bottles that I found in our supplies' ruin. When I'm back, Cato is preparing our dinner, he opens a bag of berries and pour it out in a clean leaf. He took a handful of berries and crush it, red juice comes out from its dark purple skin. I think I've saw that berries before in our surviving class. A deadly berry called Nightlock.

"Cato, no!" I slapped Cato's hand that became red with berry juice. I wash his hand with a bottle of water.

"Why?" he asked, then wiped his hands on his jacket.

"That's nightlock! You'll die in a minute!" my voice sounded so little, I turn around and wipe my tears with the sleeve of my jacket, which is has smelled strangely. The smell of blood, sweat, and mud.

"I'm sorry, Clove." Cato grabs my shoulders and trying to calm me down. I sniffed, "I don't want you die. We have to going home together."

"We will going home, Clove. I promise."

"Attention tributes, attention." Claudius' voice echoing through the crickets and owls, "There will be a feast tomorrow morning in Cornucopia. Each of you need something desperately."

Cato and I stared each other. Yes, we need something, we need food. Our supplies had exploded and none of us know how to hunt animals. That rabbit and turkey are only unlucky animals who met us.

"You hide and I'll take the food." Cato said.

I shake my head, "I won't. Katniss is going to come tomorrow. Peeta is limped and I think they won't take any risk by send him. You will hide and protect me. I will take our food and kill Katniss."

Cato did not argue anymore. He must know I've been waiting for this moment, for dealing with Katniss once again, stick the knife into her heart and see Peeta dies because of a broken heart. He must have loved her so much that betrayed us, whowould gave him a chance to live longer and without disabilities if he did not do it.

We decided to rest a while to gain some powers for fighting tomorrow. I sleep in Cato's arm and share our body heat to keep us warm. Our sleeping bag has burned with our supplies. I ask him to wake me up an hour later so I can stay on guard.

"Wake up, Clove. It's feats time." Cato hissed and shook my body gently. I see red lines in his eyes, he definitely did not sleep last night.

"You should wake me up, Cato!" I'm angry because he makes me look so weak. Maybe he thought that I can protect him, I just a weak little girl.

"You slept so peacefully and you're not well enough. You need more rest."

"I'm not…" Cato places his finger on my lips. He points to a small table that raising in front of Cornucopia. There are four bags in different sizes and different district numbers. Ours is the biggest, and I imagine lots of food inside it and my stomach starts growling.

"Here, eat this." Cato hands me a big piece of grilled turkey. I eat my breakfast while looking around watchfully and waiting for whoever comes first to take the bag. We're trying to be as quite as possible. However, Cato's heavy feet always making a noisy sound even he's just stepping on the dry leaves.

That girl is coming from nowhere, running very fast and grab a bag with the number 5 on it, and disappear into the thick woods. A sleek faced girl with red hair. She'd amaze me with her running speed, and clever enough to take the first opportunity.

Not long after that, I saw a moving bush in front of Cornucopia, and a girl with bow runs toward a small bag with number 12. I run toward her with knife in hand. I can catch her wide step. I'm very close to her right now and she didn't realize that. When her hand is stretched out to her bag, I throw my knife to her head. I know that I didn't miss when I saw her fell backward. I run to her and pinned her down, then place my knife on her throat.

"Where's your Lover Boy?" she is taller and bigger than me, but she's so powerless after I lock her hands and legs.

"Oh, I see. You're trying to help him right? That's so sweet."

Katniss tries to escape, but she's only can growling at me. I really enjoy this, teasing her before taking her life out.

"So bad you couldn't help your little friend. What was her name? Rue?" Katniss eyes are wide open, and her legs are trying to kick me, "Marvel killed her, right?" even I'm not sure that Marvel did, but I'm sure it was not Katniss, Peeta, or Thresh. Cato and I were at Cornucopia that time. Katniss breathing faster and I can see anger in her face, confirmed the correctness of my theory.

"And now, it's time to kill you." I lift my knife. I saw horror on her face. Then everything happened so fast, I was lifted into the air and Katniss' face turns into Thresh' fierce face. He looked at me deeply, anger on his face and I feel his heavy breath on my face. I'm flying about two inches above the ground, in Thresh large hand grip that held me against Cornucopia's wall.

"So you killed her!"

I'm panicking. It's all out of my expectations. We didn't thinking about Thresh, and now it's me who facing my death.

"No! I didn't…" my voice is choked between Thresh big fingers that pressing my neck harder.

"I heard you! You said her name! Rue!"

"Cato!" I'm screaming out loud, I feel the oxygen has gone from my lungs. From the corner of my eye I saw Katniss running with her bag, once again I lost my chance.

"Cato!" I scream louder. There's no sign that Cato will come to save me.

"Call him! And I'll kill you both!"

I felt hard metal hit my head hardly. My vision become blurry and I feel my head start spinning. Cato won't come. He never wants I won, he never cares about me. Everything he'd said, that kiss in the balcony, they are only his weapons to weaken me. I shouldn't trust him, I should not trust anyone.

I could feel Thresh swinging my body forward. He's going to hit my head again. My life is over. I closed my eyes to receive a great pain that will drive me to death.

Sword cutting sound, and Thresh' hand grip in my neck getting loosen. I slammed into the ground, gasping for air. I looked at the blurry blue sky and I heard something thud on the ground. The cannon booms, but I'm not die yet, it wasn't for me.

"C-C-Clove! Clove!" I heard Cato's deep voice. He's coming. He's coming to kill me.

"Stay with me, Clove!" I heard his voice getting throaty.

"Clove! Clove!" Cato's screams echoing through my ears before everything went dark and silent.


	11. Mutts

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything**

Chapter 11

There's a warmth from the campfire and I smelled grilled beef. There's a big arm hug my body. I'm laying on Cato's lap, I see his tired face on firelight. He'd save me.

"Cato…" I'm trying to wake up, but my head feels like it's tied on ten tons weighted stone, so heavy.

"Stay down, Clove." Cato helps me drink, fed me some grilled beef and some slices of pear, then he rubs my forehead gently.

"You have to sleep, Cato."

He laughs, "And you will stay on guard while you can't even lift your head up?

Once again, he's underestimated me. I don't like it, but in fact I can't even speak louder to take his words back.

"Just sleep. I'll stay on guard."

"Where are my knives?"

"I take them off. You look so scary bringing them anywhere." Cato rubs my head again, tidying my hair and kiss my forehead. His lips are cold as ice.

"You're freezing." I grip Cato's freezing fingers. He'd took his jacket off and covering me under it. I can hear his teeth are rattling.

He lifts his hand to say that he's okay. But I can see his body shaking. He lied.

"Look what I found in Thresh' bag!" he took out a silver cloak and wear it. It's too big for him, maybe it designed for Thresh.

"What's that?"

Cato shakes his head, "I don't know. But if Thresh needs it, maybe we do too."

Technically, that was me who stay on guard that night because Cato slept an hour later. The sound of crickets and night breeze lull him to sleep. My eyes are closed, but my mind is clearly awake. I heard a rustling sound belongs to a little black bird with white speckles on its wings. I whistled to it, and it was copying half of my whistle. That's a Mockingjay.

The night getting darker and it's become scarier than before. I count the remaining tributes, Cato and I, the fox face girl from 5, and then Katniss and Peeta. It's been a long time since District 12 tributes make it to top five. I can't underestimated them anymore, whoever make it to the top five must be the strongest or in some conditions, has great amount of luck.

I was disturbed by a rustling sound in a berry bushes in my right. I saw a pair of green eyes blinking, Glimmer's green eyes. I'm shuddering, Glimmer is dead, so who's that?

"Pssttt… Cato!" I hissed as quiet as possible and shaking his thumb. I don't want to startle that strange creature. The Gamemakers should have sent them to make the game more interesting.

"What's going on?" Cato hissed as quiet as I was. My eyes glanced at those green eyes, which are now more and more eyes behind it with some different color. Cato trying to reach our sword and my knives, and help me to sit. Those creatures start moving, realizing that their victims are going to run away.

Cato slipped his sword slowly on his waist while I'm doing my weapons. He then stands up very slowly and carried me on his back. We'd take our first step when those creature stretched their claws.

They are chasing us. Cato runs as fast as he can with me who trying so hard not falling from his back. There are much creatures coming, I can see their sharp teeth coming out from their snout and drools falling from it. Maybe there are fifteen of them, even more. Their fur shape and their eyes colors are different. Each of them wears a necklace with a number on it, and I realized it represent one dead tribute. I'm sick in a sudden thinking of Capitol's doctor taken the dead tribute's eyes and put it on that mutant wolf and ask them to chase us.

We ran up to the Cornucopia when Cato fell and I thrown about ten feet away. I'm trying to stand up, but that place starts to spin. Cato runs and put himself on top of me, protecting his head with his arms. I can hear some metals are clinking. They are scratching Cato's back, but he seems okay, there's no pain on his face. It was like he didn't feel anything.

The sun rises and those mutt have gone, without anything left like they never been here before. We sit and look around, and I realize that they were lead us to Cornucopia.


	12. Love Confession

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

Chapter 12

The sun goes down quickly, I feel that the time going faster. They want to end this soon. Every time the night comes, there are more and more threats coming. Cato and I stay in Cornucopia, we don't want to back to our previous camp. Maybe those mutts will come back again, or maybe they're there now, waiting if we want to take our supplies.

We don't have any food, and we don't have anything that can be filled with water except our mouth. We only have two thin jackets, two swords, and three knives.

"Are you okay?" I hug him and checking his back. There's no blood, no sliced meat or even a scar on his skin, only some scratches on his silver cloak.

"So, this is a body armor!" Cato explores every inches of that cloak. But then, there's a disappointment expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"This cloak doesn't protect my head and hands, not either my feet!"

He was right, but at least that cloak has save our life. I can't imagine that Cato died in front of my own eyes because of protected me. That's make me think, why he did that? Why did he sacrifice himself to protect me? He didn't have to save me if he wanted to win, he himself can win this game as a single victor.

It began to rain, makes the night become colder. We went inside the Cornucopia because the rain getting worse and turns almost the entire place into a lake. We're going deeper and deeper until we reach the end of it, the only dry place there.

Our first parachute in the whole game comes and landing gracefully in front of the mouth of Cornucopia. Cato crosses the lake in front of him to take it. He brought it inside, there are a big metal bowl and a small one on top of it. They're placed in a nice plastic wrap. We open them and find a bowl of hot beef stew and rice on the small bowl but it's only has one spoon. There's also a piece of paper from Hera.

_STAY ALIVE AND BE THE VICTORS_

Our mentors must have some problems finding sponsors. Everything becomes extremely expensive during the games. A bowl of this soup can definitely buy supplies for three days at the beginning of the game.

We gripped the soup's bowl to get some heat from it. Cato fed me little by little, but when I asked for the spoon and trying to feed him, he refused.

"You have to eat, Cato! You can't protect me if you're starving! Or maybe you don't care about me anymore?"

"No! I didn't mean to…"

"Then eat this!" I said fiercely. He didn't argue and eat every scoop I gave him. I use the same trick to make him sleep. I'm stronger right now, and I can protect him. Cato slept peacefully in the corner. I wash our metal bowls with the rain and put it outside to get some water for us.

"Damn it!" I said to myself. It was already afternoon when I wake up. Cato still on his place, same position, with sword in hand. I didn't know if there was anyone died last night. I missed the sky-projection.

The rain has stopped, or gone more precisely. The land in Cornucopia is dry as the rain never happened before. I check my bowls and it's full of water. I drink it a bit, and place them safely inside the horn. The Gamemakers must have dried this place when I slept. Did they dry up this entire arena? Maybe not, they rather saw us died on fight than dehydrated. They must have left one source of water to make sure we are going to come there when we're thirsty. The only place I thought was the lake near Cornucopia.

Out of curiosity, I crept out the horn. I walked to the lake and found out that I was right. The lake is still covered with lots of water. The thirsty tributes will come here, a good time to finish them off without hunting them down. I smiled, and I saw my reflection on the crystal clear water. My fierce face smiles back at me.

I heard the cannon booms, one more tribute has died. I'm thinking of Cato, he was sleeping when I left him, what if… I run toward Cornucopia and when I'm there, that place is empty. I'm failed! I can't keep him alive as what he did to me. I curl up and crying between my knees, I've lost Cato forever.

Someone with heavy steps come in. That must be Peeta, Katniss doesn't has that heavy feet. Finally, they've found me. Crying for Cato. I hear those steps coming closer, but I didn't move, I was too weak to move. Whoever it is, they can kill me now.

A pair of big arms hug me. His heavy breath blowing in my neck. I recognize this smell. The smell of sweat mixed with blood.

"Cato!" I screamed and hugged him. My tears still falling, even faster right row.

"I woke up and you weren't here. I'm looking for you, and then I heard the cannon... I thought you… and I was… Where have you been?!"

"I was at the lake."

"What for?" Cato releases his hug, his blue eyes stare at me between angry, worry, and happy.

"This place has dried up! I thought they must left somewhere with water so we'll have no choice than go there or die because of dehydration. So I was doing a check."

"Okay. Don't do that again." he grabs my shoulder and sighs. He pressed his forehead on mine. I can hear his hearth beating so fast.

"I love you Clove, so much. Don't ever leave me."

I was paralyzing. Did Cato just admit that he love me?

"I don't want you to go." he gulped, "I want you always be my side, forever."

This is crazy. I don't know what Cato was planned to. But strangely I feel my heart beating faster too. My mouth opens without any words for a moment, thinking of what I have to say, but I can't find any right sentence to say.

I raise my face so I can stare at his blue eyes. I can't say anything, I just can act. I move closer and kiss his lips, hoping that now he knows about my feeling, even I never know it either before. But now, I know what I want, and something inside me said that what I did was completely right. I can feel it jumping and laughs happily. I don't care if the whole Panem watching us right now, crying for us, or even cursing us because what we do right now isn't portraying a cruel and heartless Career at all. This is the way I say that I love him too, so much.

**Uh...my heart was beating faster too when I write this. I don't know why but I feel that I was there as Clove.**

**Hope you like it as I do, and honestly, this is one of my favorite chapter.**

**See you later!**

**xoxo**


	13. The Finale

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

**I'm sorry I posted it this late. Well, it's almost midnight here :) I was busy with my undergraduate thesis. It makes me crazy and my only escape from it is making this fanfinct.**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter and I hope you like it!**

Chapter 13

"Katniss, run!" Peeta's scream breaks the silence of the night.

"Cato! Cato! Wake up! They're coming!"

Cato woke up from my lap and grabbed his sword, and then we're running and hiding behind the Cornucopia. Waiting.

But suddenly, I heard more and more steps coming. They're not alone, there were something behind them, maybe chase them. I look at Cato and I think we have a same thought. Mutts.

Without wasting any more time, Cato and I climbed the Cornucopia. That metal is so hot and burns my skin. It was probably because of the extreme sunlight this whole day. I was already at the top of the horn when the first mutt who has brown eyes and black curly hair jumped. It was the smallest among them but it jumped the highest. It scratches Cato's back. Its sharp claws chinking with his silver cloak. I tried to pull Cato up, but it bit the cloak's tail and dragged him away. I threw my littlest knife to the mutt's eyes with my shaking hand. There was a little roar when my knife stuck on its eye and it released him. Cato ran as fast as possible to the Cornucopia and grabbed my sweaty hand so I can pull him up.

There was a sound of releasing arrows followed by a scary howl of the tall and black haired mutt. Katniss grabbed Peeta's hand and ran together to the horn. They were stopping when they saw us standing up here. They are trapped, only armed with a bow with few arrows and a spear while we have two swords and two knives. Besides, they have no way out because those mutts have surrounding this area.

"Climb it, Katniss!"

"But Cato and Clove are up there!"

"There's no other choice. Hurry!" Peeta pushed Katniss to climbing the horn. We are waiting and ready to greet them with our sharp metals. I threw my knife when Katniss made her first step up here, but she was ready for my attack, my knife missed and only cut a silver bag hanging on her waist. She rolled and shot me with her bow, Cato jumped in front of me and that arrow bumped into his protected chest and fell off the ground.

Peeta joined us not long after that. The mutts pack below us began to scratch Cornucopia's wall. That mutt whose I'd blinded trying to jump, but it didn't high as before and it stands unsteady on its feet.

"Let's finish this!" Cato said, more like to himself. He's moving forward, swinging his sword to Katniss' neck and she hold it with her metal bow. Peeta went forward and punch Cato on his nose, make it bleed. I take my own sword and swinging it gracefully like playing hangar. Peeta hold my attack with his spear and trying to stab me with its sharp part. I bowed my head to avoid that thing and swung my sword toward his legs, he jumped and stepping his heavy feet on top of it, held my sword below his boots. I was moving back in the right time before his spear reached my neck.

I bumped to Peeta and take my sword back. I lift it up to slice him into two pieces symmetrically. He was moving backward right before my sword touched him and it was chinking against the Cornucopia. I felt the tip of a boot hit my nose and blood flowing from it. I slid through the gab of her legs before Katniss could kick me again. Now I'm facing Peeta and Cato facing Katniss. Metal collided with metal, and arrows had shot one by one. Then, there was a swinging sound echoing through the air.

Cato screamed, one of Katniss' arrow has stuck on his unprotected hand. His sword flying off from his hand and stuck somewhere in the ground.

"Cato!" I screamed and lost my concentration. Peeta scratched my arm that holding my sword, I winced in pain and looked my sword sliding down to the right side of Cornucopia. I took my last knife, bent down and put my arm around Katniss neck and placed my knife's sharp side on her throat when she aimed Cato's head with her bow.

"Don't even think to do that, Girl on Fire!" I saw her neck veins getting stiffened.

"You too, Clove!" the cold thing on Peeta's spear touches the back of my neck. With one strong jolt, it will make a deep hole through my throat.

No one of us is moving. Katniss' arrow is aimed towards Cato's head, he's unarmed. But, if she do that I will slit her throat and then Peeta will push his spear and he won. No, it should be one of us. If I don't make it, then Cato is the one who should crowned as the victor.

My eyes are exploring that area, moving from Katniss and then Cato. She is on her hunting position, with one foot in front of the other. If I make a sudden move, Peeta will kill me and maybe Katniss will finish off Cato after that. I have to dealing with Peeta first, so I have more opportunity and clear space to move. I should find his weak spot, somewhere that will cause an enough pain to break his concentration.

I looked at Cato, and pointing my eyes to Katniss' arrow and make a very slow rolling gesture with my head. He nods slowly and raises his eyebrows, gave me a sign that he's ready with my plan.

I kicked the shaft of Peeta's stomach in a sudden move that maybe he never thought of and my arm throttled Katniss at the same time. As I have predicted, she shot her bow. Cato has ready for that and he rolling forward and bumping her, drop her off to the mutts below.

Peeta lost his concentration for a moment because of the pain and watching her partner being tortured by the mutts. I drop my knife and turn around and push him off with his spear. Peeta lost his balance but still trying to hold my attack. Cato takes my last knife and stabs it on Peeta's right leg, that make him fell off to the ground, following Katniss. Screams of pain and ripped skin sounds echoing in the air. The cannon booms twice and those mutts go away, done with their duties. I'm looking at Katniss and Peeta's dead body taken by the aircraft and then going down.

The sun rises. That silver bag belongs to Katniss still there, near the blood lake of them. I pick it up, open it and I find it full with fresh Nightlocks, maybe it harvested not long ago. We are waiting for the sound of winning trumpet and Claudius Templesmith announces our victory.

"Oh, your nose is bleeding!" Cato rubs my blood, and takes our water inside the Cornucopia. He ripped his shirt a bit, dip it in the water and rubs my nose gently.

"Yours too. Let me clean that." I take that cloth and clean his nose.

"Ouch! Be careful!"

"I'm sorry!" after his nose is clean, I saw that his nose bone is broken. Peeta has such a strong punch, "Cato, your nose is broken!"

"That's okay. Capitol's doctors will fix that, and I will look handsome as before."

I smiled, and pour that red water out and threw the bowl. We are still waiting in silence, and I realize that there's something wrong happened.

"Did you hear any announcement, Cato?"

"No, I didn't. Maybe we have to wait a little longer." Cato holds my hands. Finally, we can go home. Together.

"Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games." Claudius' voice echoing through the arena, "The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed," he paused, "Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."

There was a very long pause. Neither of us do anything except breathing.

"Do it." Cato walks closer and smiles, "You have to go home, Clove."

I'm stepping back and shake my head. Tears falling down my check.

"Do it, Clove!" his words more like an order to me.

"I can't!" I yelled at him with my throaty voice. "You have to kill me!"

"I won't!"

"Yes you will! You have to!"

"Who you think you are that you can ask me what to do?!"

"You just a Career, like me!" I slapped him, I don't know why I did that. I just don't want to kill him. Maybe I can make him hate me so he'll kill me.

Cato seems to yell at me, but he didn't. He just grabs my wrist and staring at the silver bag in my hand.

"What's that?"

"Nightlocks. They belong to Katniss."

"You still don't want to kill me, Clove?"

I shake my head and take a very deep breath. Maybe Cato will kill me now. He can twists my neck like what he did to Zach.

"Neither do I." he rubs my cheek, removing my tears that keep falling down like a waterfall.

"Then we have to do it ourselves." he said.

"How?"

"With this." he took a Nightlock and showed it to me. I nod, and take one for myself.

Cato rubs my cheek again, and kisses my forehead and then my lips gently. I feel that his cheek is wet. He's crying, and I can't help myself not to cry again. We both crying. Our lips are locked but thousands of words are spoken in silence. After a while, we separate ourselves and look deeply to each other's eyes.

"Ready?" he asked, and rubs my cheek once again.

"Ready."

"Together?"

"Together." I'm looking into his blue eyes for the last time. The arrogant boy with blonde hair and blue eyes who asked me to saw the brightest star in balcony, who protected me in the arena, tried as best as he can to kept me alive. Cato, the arrogant boy who will be my first and last love. We lifted our hands, ready to put that deadly fruit inside our mouth.

"Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Clove Arvanite and Cato Crowley! I give you, the tributes of District Two!" Claudius' voice shouts above the blaring trumpets.

Cato coughed and spewed everything inside his mouth and a whole Nightlock falling off the ground. I threw everything in my hands and hugged him tightly.

"You didn't eat that, did you?"

"I didn't! Did you?"

"No!"

We laugh. Cato hugs me and lifts me up to the air. He fell backward and I pinned him down like what I did to Katniss, but I'm not going to kill him. I kiss him instead, and I didn't stop until the aircraft come to pick us.

**Haaaah... finally! They did it! They won the game! Well, it might the end of the game, but it's not the end of this story. Get yourself ready for the next chapter guys!**

**As always, GO TEAM CLATO!**

**xoxo**


	14. Nightmares

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything**

**Sorry for the delay (again). There were so many things going on and I have to deal with them first, it was the hardest time of being a student :( . Now, back to this story, here is the 14th chapter. Hope you guys like it!**

Chapter 14

"Help! Please don't kill me!" the blonde haired girl from District 8 begs on my knees. Suddenly, Cato's shining sword slices her neck and red thick blood flowing down to her shoulder, makes her hair wet with it. She's still breathing, I saw her chest moving up and down very slowly.

Cato swung his sword once again, "Cato, no! Stop!" I screamed, I don't want he killed her, not again. But my lips just moving without any sounds. I'm breathing heavily like the poor girl in front of me. My vision become darker and darker, and I feel my whole body become so weak.

I woke up in a wet, red, stinky soil. It's so quiet here. Where are the others?

"Cato?" I hissed between the night wind.

"Cato!" there's no answer.

The Nightlock bush in front of me moves, I'm looking for my knives, getting ready to attack. But I can't find it, I even don't wear my games suite but the peach long dress that Petra made for my interview.

That bush opens and someone barges in. Glimmer stares at me with her strong deadly look. She aims me with her bow. I almost can't recognize her. Her face is full of puffs, her nose hole become bigger in one side and her hands become twice bigger.

"Why did you leave me, Clove?! I called you! I asked for your help!"

I'm scared to death. Her green eyes turned red when she looks at me deeply.

"I'm sorry. I really wanted to help you, but…"

"Liar!" the District 9 boy come from my left, he spews hot thick blood on my face.

"Killer!" the blonde girl from 8 grabs my legs. I try to escape from her and kick her face that opens a big fresh scar on her neck that looks like a wide creepy smile.

"Do you remember us, Clove? Do you remember this?" the District 7's tributes come from my right. They point to a bloody scar on their neck, where my knife used to slits before.

"And you never gave me a chance to explain! I did chase our thief! Why I have to die too?" Zach, with his twisted neck, crawling in front of me.

"You didn't know how was it feel when those mutts ripped you, Clove!" Peeta and Katniss come together behind me. Peeta grabs my arms tightly. Katniss pick some Nightlock and crush it in her shattered hands.

"Eat this!" Katniss trying to open my mouth so she can put that deadly thing inside and make me swallow it. I shake my head and slap her hand. I want to call Cato for help, but I can't. They are all around me, everyone who I'd saw the death.

"It was you who should dead, Clove! Not me! You are the one who killed Rue!" my biggest fear, Thresh, coming from nowhere and stretching his hand to throttle me.

They are coming closer and closer while I can't move anymore. I'm breathing heavily because of Thresh' strong grip in my neck, I need some air but I can't open my mouth because Katniss is trying to choking me with Nightlock. I just scream in silence, hoping that Cato will come to save me, like that day.

"Cato… where are you?" I said to myself.

"Clove! Clove!" that familiar sound is echoing in my ear. Cato is coming! He will save me, he will take me out from this place.

Cato comes and standing next to Glimmer. He has his sword, but he's doing nothing. He's just standing there like enjoying that I'm being tortured by these tributes. He grins, a very strange grin. I only have saw him act like that when he found Katniss by the river that day. That grin means that he wants to kill someone.

Then, something that I never expected happens. Cato drops his sword, embraces Glimmer's waist and kiss her. I don't believe what I just see right now. I'm angry and scared at the same time. How could he do that? After what we have been through so far? After our kiss?

He turns around at me. He smiles, very creepy smile. Suddenly, his strapping body become a little bit stooped, his muscular arms getting bigger and bigger and ripped his shirt. He's naked, but his whole body is covered by straight blonde fur. His mouth becomes a snout and two sharp fangs peeking out from it and his nails growing longer and as sharp as blades. Only his eyes that didn't change, still on its blue sea color.

He looked at me sadistically. Drools dripping between his sharp teeth that grinned to me.

They are swarming around me like Tracker Jackers. Yelling the same words, "Killer! Liar! Mutts!". I can't move, Peeta and the girl from 8 have lock my movements, Thresh' hand grip is getting tighter that I don't have any other choice than open my mouth to get some air, it makes Katniss puts the crushed Nightlock inside and close my mouth and nose, forcing me to swallow it.

Strangely, I didn't die. I'm screaming and wriggling, hoping that they will stop. But they don't. They laugh and happy seeing me being tortured like this. I scream louder, begging to the Gamemakers to end this, to take them out of me. It's enough, it's enough for today. I don't want anymore, I can't take it anymore.

I gasped, my whole body is covered by sweat and my shirt is wet. My hair is so untidy and my blanket is lying on the floor.

"Clove?" Cato opens the door very slowly. I scream and crawling back to the corner of my bed. I'm scared to seeing Cato transforms into a blue eyed mutt.

"Sshh… It's okay. You're save, Clove. I'm here." Cato walks around the bed and sits next to me. He hugs me and trying to calm me down. My body is shaking and my eyes are looking watchfully to all directions.

"They're coming, Cato! They want to kill me!" I'm panicking and my voice is trembling. Cato leans my head to his chest. His heart beating as fast as mine, maybe faster.

"They are dead, Clove. Nobody can hurts you." he rubs my head gently and kiss it.

"You got a fever." he presses his hand on my forehead. Yes, I feel my body a little bit hot and I saw my face at the mirror, red as hell.

Cato went outside and back bringing a thermometer, a fever pill, a bowl of water and a clean white towel. He places the thermometer inside my mouth and dips the towel into the water, squeeze it and put it on my forehead. He went outside again, but it was longer than before. I hear some noisy sounds downstairs, and I hear something is sliced. I'm shuddering thinking of Cato slices someone with his sword or something sharp from the kitchen.

"Here, you have to eat before you take the medicine." he's back bringing sandwich and a glass of water on a tray, then put it on the small table beside my bed and takes my blanket.

"Your fever is so damn high!" Cato frowned when he looked at the thermometer in his hands, he replaces my warm compress, fed me a small piece of sandwich though I refused to eat and drink.

"I don't want to eat!" I closed my mouth with my hand, I remembered Katniss cramming those Nightlock in my dreams. But Cato didn't do it, he put the sandwich back.

"Well, if you don't like sandwich, I'll make another dish. Tell me, what do you want to eat?"

I shook my head, I don't want to eat anything. What I want is to get rid of those nightmares because of the guilt that I brought from Capitol since we crowned as the victors. I brought the fear and horror in the arena with me, I feel it when I met the District 2's residents who greeted us at the train station, and when I opened the doors of my new home in Victors Village for the first time. I became so phobia of the dark, and often screamed at night because of those flashes of death that I saw in the arena. My parents still went to the other districts so often, from one hospital to another. They'd entrust me to Cato, who now live across our house. His parents are okay with that, because they also saw what I saw in the Hunger Games. So, Cato always spend the night at my house when my parents go, and then go home the next morning.

Cato takes a deep breath, trying to be more patient to me who acted like a crazy person these days.

"This is the fifth time in this week, Cato." I sobbed into my pillow, looking at Cato's face, who was busy getting rid of naughty hairs on my forehead.

"Don't ever think about it again. It wasn't your fault they died. We were forced to kill each other in that arena." Cato kisses my forehead like he did in the arena, "Now, go back to sleep."

"I won't. I don't want to see those nightmares again."

"And what are you going to do, anyway? It's 3 o'clock in the morning. Do you want to going outside and enjoy the dark?"

I shook my head. He knows that I'm afraid of the dark, why he said that then?

"Just go back to sleep. You need more energy for the tour. Petra and her preps team are going to arrive at seven." Cato rubs my forehead again, "You have to take the medicine, Clove. Your fever has not going down yet."

Finally, I ate the sandwich to appreciate him, but I didn't eat the ham and eggs, it reminds me of the shattered body and tribute's eyes on the mutts. I take the medicine after that and it makes me so sleepy. Between my consciousness that gone little by little, I grabbed his hand and whispered, "Don't leave me."

"I won't leave you, Clove. Never."

**Okay, the last sentence sounds so sweet. But honestly, I was thinking that it didn't sweet at all. What if he needs to go to the bathroom? or maybe he needs to eat something? then he has to go somewhere else, right? hahaha...**

**Well, I'm such a joy killer, just ignore everything I said before.**

**Anyway, thank you for your views and reviews. You all are so nice to me, really made my day!**

**xoxo**


	15. Victory Tour

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything**

**Hello again! Thank God I can finish this chapter and posted it without any more delay. Just want you guys know, I was listening to Alexander's (who played Cato in the movie) song : 'Liv it Up' when wrote this chapter. I don't know why but somehow, that song made me more relaxed. :)**

**Okay, enjoy this chapter guys, and don't hesitate to write some reviews.**

Chapter 15

Our first stop is District 12. The tour began from the farthest district and end up with a big party in Capitol. The train station of District 12 is so quiet and miserable. Its wooden roof is almost collapsed and there are so many holes on the floor. Petra asks Emily –her assistant- to replace my high heels with leather sandals.

Our tour speech held at the Justice Building. This building is not better than the station, but at least it looks more solid that I don't have to worry it will collapses and buries us under it.

Vega gave me and Cato a sheet of paper for our speech. She said we don't need to memorize it, just read it and sometimes looking at the faces of District 12's residents. Hera and Achilles will wait for us inside the building.

I hold Cato's hand and walking out the Justice Building toward a small podium that the reaping days used to happen, staring thousands of dirty and tired faces in dark hair and grey eyes, and clean and tidy ones in blonde hair and blue eyes. Behind all of them, there are two podiums where Katniss' and Peeta's families standing in front of their picture, looking at us.

I don't think their gaze is that fierce, but that blonde girl in front of Katniss' picture looked at me diferently. There's something in her eyes that I can't understand, she seems to angry and sad at the same time, sometimes it looks very soft and calming, but there is also a frightening glaze on her eyes. She stares at me deeply, must remember the face belongs to someone who chased her sister.

I began to read the paper that Vega gave me, but I couldn't resist the desire to look at Katniss' sister again and again. She looks more frightening whenever I saw her. Maybe I can guess what's inside her head right now, because I know how's my face when I want to kill someone.

"Killer!" that word echoing inside my head over and over. My speech doesn't sound so important anymore. I can't do it. I can't hide my fears anymore. That girl doesn't ever know that her sister always comes into my dream every night, shouting for revenge. She won't stop coming to my dreams until I become crazy and commit a suicide. What I've done? I'd killed so many innocent people, I've become a cruel killer, I'm not better than those mutts who trying to kill us.

My speech has stopped, my words are choked in my throat. I felt my breath getting heavy and tears falling down my cheeks. I folded my paper, and looking at those expressionless faces in front of me. I want to ended this tour soon, maybe I want to skip this. I can't see another faces in the other districts looking at me that way. I don't know why I'm so scared, it's not me. I thought that I was a heartless person, but I was wrong.

"I'm sorry for Katniss and Peeta." there are some murmurs among the audiences, they should never heard a Career saying sorry before, "I know you saw me in that arena, knows what kind of person I am, and I know that you're trying to resist the urge to dragged me down right now, whipping me and tearing my body apart like what happened to them."

Cato squeezes my hand and ask me to stop, but I don't. I have to say it before I leave, "You can call me a killer, because that was I used to be. But I want to say something that maybe you didn't saw in your TVs…" I take a deep breath, and raise my head so I can stare at Katniss' and Peeta's families directly, "Katniss and Peeta are the real victors. They're the real survivors, not us. We can only kill human, but not the animals. We couldn't hunt for ourselves, but Katniss could, we won't alive after those Tracker Jackers' attack without the expensive medicine from the Capitol, but Katniss did, I even couldn't lift my head after being hit by Thresh, but Peeta could walk far enough from Cornucopia and alive. The only thing that killed them is their opportunities has taken by those mutts."

There's a long silence, nobody seems want to talk, so I keep talking. I'm clearing my throat before continue, "I know I can't bring them back to life, but I want to do something that might help their families. I want to…"

"We don't need anything from you!" a tall, dark-haired boy with grey eyes barges the crowd and points me with his finger. He's standing too close from the podium and the Peacekeepers ask him to move back.

"Whatever you will do, anything you'll give to us, you are still a killer! A cruel killer and Capitol's lap dog! We won't receive anything from your dirty hands! I won't let Katniss die in nothing, I will kill you for her!" he yelled at me and trying to push down the Peacekeepers to reach the podium. Cato seems like he wants to go down and punch that boy's face, but I grab his arms and hold him by me side. I don't want to see any more fight.

The Peacekeepers dragged him away, but I still can hear he shouts something at me, that makes my heart falling down to my stomach.

"Katniss will hunt you!"

**See you on the next one :)**

**xoxo**


	16. Secrets

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything**

Chapter 16

"I will hunt you!" Katniss' scarless face suddenly become bloody and shattered. She has her bow while chasing me. I bumped into something invisible and fell off to the ground.

I saw her, with red eyes that glowing in the dark. She's coming closer and closer, but I can move anywhere since there's a long deep cliff behind me. I'm looking around to find something I can throw, but there's nothing than dry leaves around me.

"Please don't kill me." I begged to her, I don't know what to do, I can't thinking of anything else than asking for her forgiveness, "Please forgive me. I'm really sorry..."

"I won't forgive you! You killed me! You killed Peeta!"

"But I have to! I didn't have any other option!"

"Then I have to kill you!"

"You don't know the reason I killed you!"

"Tell me, then. Maybe I can make your death more happily."

"I-I-I just want to go home, Katniss."

Her face changed, turned back into its scarless one, even more beautiful than before. Her braided hair laying on her right shoulder. She's coming closer and sits next to me.

"I do too. Everyone does."

"I know, I'm really sorry. I can't do anything else."

"Honestly, it wasn't your fault." her answer surprises me, I never thought she will understand.

"They never wanted two victors, Katniss. That announcement was just a trap so we would kill our partner."

"But, both of you alive." she looked at me, her eyes still in red, but not as scary as before. Her eyebrows were furrowed.

"I couldn't kill Cato. I love him. I was trying to commit a suicide with your Nightlocks."

"Well, I was planning to use that berries to fool you both. I thought you didn't know if that berry is poisonous."

"I know, I'd saw them before on our surviving class. That's why I wanted to eat that to finish the game and Cato can be a victor."

"I thought you all Careers were always wanted victory for yourselves."

"I was. But I can't"

"Why?"

"The same reason Peeta left the pack and went for you."

"Oh yeah, Peeta. He said that he loved me." Katniss stares the empty air before she looks at me and grabs my shoulder gently.

"I know who should be responsible for all of these things. Snow. He could stop this game, but he didn't. He even made this become more deadly and harder every single year. Kill him, Clove. Kill him for me. I know you can do it. Kill him for me..."

Katniss' face slowly faded out and become the roof of my bright compartment. I swung my legs slowly and opened the door. I walked to the last trolley and sit on a comfy sofa at the corner, remembering my tours. We will arrive at Capitol soon, kinda reminds me of the time when I was going there as a tribute. I watch outside the window, the sun just begins to rise and its light peeking from the trees.

I laid my back and thinking about those tired faces in the districts. They didn't see us as victors, but as two cruel killers or someone who brought a deadly disease that should be afraid of. There are no claps after our speech, even in District 1.

"What are you doing here, Clove?" Hera comes in, she pulled her sweater tightly. It's a little bit cold here.

"Oh, nothing. Just enjoying the views. What about you?"

"I always woke up this early when I'm on train.", she looks at me, "What happened?"

I shook my head, but she knows that there's something wrong on me.

"You look so different after the game. Something bad happened between you and Cato?"

I sigh, she sits next to me and embraces my shoulder, "You can tell me everything, Clove. We are family now."

I just staring the floor, don't even know how to start. Finnaly, I just mumbled, "I'm scared."

"Scared of what?"

"I know it sounds so silly but I think Katniss is following me. I keep thinking about her death, about her family, and I even scared of her sister's glares."

"Oh!" Hera squeeze my shoulder, "You're feel so guilty, aren't you?"

"Maybe I am. How did you know?"

"I feel that too, Sweety. I'll tell you something, do you remember Hazalia? The last tribute I killed?"

"Of course, she's from District 6, right?"

Hera nods, "When I was at the arena, the only thing I wanted was killing everyone so I can be a victor and going home. But, after I won and got everything I want, I got nightmares about her, until today. That's why I always woke up very early when I'm in train, the atmosphere here kinds of remembering me to her." she takes a deep breath, "But I have to pretending that I'm okay. I was a mentor and I shouldn't look so weak in front of you and Cato. I have to be strong and brute like I used to be, and you have to, because you are a mentor now."

"But I can't."

"I know it will be hard. But that's what a mentor should be and this year is not the ordinary Hunger Games, it's Quarter Quell. Everything gonna be harder now. You have to be a better mentor for your tributes, they will need you to win."

**Sorry for this short chapter, guys. I hope you still like it!**


	17. The Second Reaping

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

**Sorry i haven't posted for a couple days. I have some problems in my life and got some issues on my internet connection. But here it is, the sweet 17 chapter. Hope you guys like it! :)**

Chapter 17

I want to throw something to the TV. My screams are choked in my throat and my mom has crying hysterically. I heard slammed door from Cato's house and a loud scream from Hera's. I was paralyzed, my hands were wet with sweat and words have taken from my mouth.

They were just giving us a shocking announcement about the third Quarter Quell. The tributes will chosen from the living victors. I know I will back to the Capitol soon, but as a mentor, not a tribute, and that announcement has bring me back to my fears of that bloody arena. It was just a few weeks after the game and I just enjoying my free days without killing or afraid of being killed, I was so happy that I can kept Cato alive, and have him forever by my side, besides, my nightmares about those dead tributes haven't gone yet.

I walk to the door and open it. I let my legs bring me to nowhere. I just keep walking, I want to go as far as possible from my house.

My legs brought me to a wide green meadow near the district's boundary. I sat under an old apple tree, staring at the blue sky when I heard someone is coming.

"I don't know if you are afraid too, Cato."

"What makes you think that I'm afraid?"

"I heard you slammed your door."

"I 'd slammed Thresh' body on the ground too, that's make no sense."

"But, why are you here? Trying to run from reality?"

"Just looking for some fresh air."

I smiled and leaned my back to the tree. Cato joins me and lays his head on my lap.

"It's okay to be afraid, Clove. You don't have to pretend that you're okay."

"I'm not pretending. Why should I?"

"Because I heard Hera asked you to do that."

"I will if I'm a mentor. But, with this whole Quarter Quell thing, I think I don't have to. I'll be who I am."

"There are still some possibilities that we won't be chosen as tributes."

I rub his forehead, removing his blonde hair from it. He takes my hand and kisses it.

"I know. It doesn't matter if I have to back to that arena, as long as my partner is not you."

"I do so." he sighs, "I don't want to hurt you, Clove."

I bent down to kiss him, trying to forget anything else. Cato was right. Our district has most victors compared to the others. The Capitol has to build more houses in Victors Village because of it. The possibility of my name is taken is only one of fifteen.

It's the reaping day. We were picked by two cars that brought thirty two victors to the Town Square. There are thousands of District 2's residents had gathered, not to volunteer, but only to watch who will be reaped. I grabbed Cato's fingers tightly from the Victors Village to the Town Square.

"As always, ladies first!" Vega looked at me and stirs the glass bowl contains fifteen names of the girls. She took a very deep breath when picked an envelope and opened it.

"The female tribute from District 2, Enobaria Cruevolt!"

A big relief covered me like raindrops. It wasn't me! I don't have to back to the arena! But that strange middle-aged woman with sharp teeth and wear something like leaves crown on her head. I didn't know her so well, she lived in a house at the end of Victors Village. I think she's the victor of 62nd Hunger Games. She walks proudly to the center of the podium, and shows her wolf-like teeth.

"And now, for the boys." Vega crosses to another bowl. I hold my breath when she picked an envelope quickly, and hoping that it's not Cato's name inside.

"The male tribute from District 2, Brutus Hangrooft!"

I felt my legs become so weak, and honestly, I was almost fainted. I even didn't hear Vega introduced us as their mentors. I was so happy that I don't have to kill anybody again, but it feels a little bit strange for me to mentoring tributes that far older than us. I heard they are screaming and sounds so happy that they can back to the game again, especially Enobaria.

When I'm home, I slammed my door and hug my parents tightly. They didn't come to the reaping, and I forbid them to come. I don't want to see their face if I was reaped, and I have to talk to them again in a small room under the podium like the previous year. My mom become a little bit unstable after seeing me almost died in Thresh' hand.

After finished packing some clothes and stuff for my trip back to the Capitol, I watched the reaping day reruns on TV. The show starts from District 1, with their brother-sister tributes, Cashmere and Gloss, and then the Careers from District 4, Finnick Odair and an old woman named Mags, she was volunteering for a hysterical red haired girl that reaped before. I don't remember which year that Mags won for, it must a very long time ago, maybe before I was born.

The show continues until the District 7, and I still remember Johanna Mason. She's a little bit different with her black spiky hair. It looks like she didn't try to hide who the real she is, a brute killer with an axe, not a sweet little girl with blue blouse and white skirt anymore. Her district's partner, Blight, is a tall muscular man with thick curly black hair, kind of Thresh.

The reaping day in District 12 looks a little bit different. There was only one old man that I know for Katniss and Peeta's mentor as the male tribute. For the girls, there was a glass bowl with lots of names inside. When that strange woman with butterflies-patterned dress picked up an envelope and read it, I know that whoever was reaped wasn't a victor. They chose a female tribute as usual, sending an ordinary girl who didn't know the horror inside the Hunger Games to fight with those skilled and cold-blooded victors.

That woman read the envelope, and then there was a little movement from the crowd. The camera shoots her, a blonde haired girl with nice clothes, must be a daughter of an important person in District 12, maybe the daughter of that pale faced man who stand uncomfortably at the podium, if I'm right, he's Mayor Undersee.

"I volunteer!" suddenly another blonde haired girl raised her hand and barged the crowd. Everyone turned at her, and the reaped girl hugged her. She just rubbed her back and walked proudly to the podium. Her braided hair reminded me to someone.

The Capitol women smiled and grabbed her hand, and took her to the podium, "What's your name, dear?"

That girl looked straight at the camera and I feel her blue eyes stare at me directly. There was no smile or sadness from her face, just a plain and unidentified one. She cleared her throat before answered in the calmest voice that I ever heard from a tribute, "Primrose Everdeen."

**If anyone didn't know who was the girl that Primrose volunteering for, she is Madge Undersee, the mayor's daughter. She's not appeared in the movie but mentioned several times in the books. Well, I hope it helps :)**

**xoxo**


	18. The Rebellion

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

**I'm sorry I didn't posted for a couple days, but thank you for the views. Please forgive me :'(**

Chapter 18

The screen flashes several times before it goes black and the entire room become extremely dark. There's no light to help me to see anything. Cato is out for sending a parachute contains a medicine for Enobaria's burned skin and he just called that the parachute has been sent a few seconds ago, but he's not coming back yet.

An unreasonable fear covering me. I'm scared to move from my seat, and I folded my legs and hug my knees tightly. This darkness makes me remembering the dark and scary days in the arena. I feel that there are some blinking eyes watching me from afar with their heavy breath and drools falling down between their sharp teeth and shining blade-like claws. I'm shuddering and I'm sinking my head between my knees in order to reducing my fear, but it just make it feels more real.

_"__You have to be brave, Clove. You are a mentor…you are a mentor…"_ I hissed to myself. Hera said that I have to look strong in front of everyone, but there's no one here, only thick darkness around me. My body feels so cold and I start to breath heavily. I can't fainted…I should not…

"Are you alright, Honey?" Petra comes bringing a little glass jar that emitted a beautiful blue light.

"Oh, yeah. I'm okay. Just a little bit…sleepy." I swing my legs down and trying to looks as calm as possible.

"Just get some sleep, then. You and Cato didn't get enough sleep this week."

I shook my head, "It's okay. Did Cato has come back?"

Petra puts her jar down and sits next to me. She's fixing her slanted pinky purple wig and checking her watch which is glowing in the dark when she rubs its screen, "He should has been come back five minutes ago. Maybe he used the emergency stairs due to the power failure." she looks at me, "What happened before the blackout?"

"The last thing I see was Primrose shooting her arrow to the sky, and the arena exploded right after that."

"That was so strange, it was never happen like this before." Petra takes a deep breath, "I'll find Vega and ask her what's going on. The blackout never happens more than ten minutes in Capitol, you know. There must be something wrong." her hand is stretched to take her jar. I covered with my extreme fear of the dark once again, and I stop her spontaneously before she takes the only bright thing in that room.

"Um… Can you leave it here for me? I don't know where I can get another one. This is so dark here."

"Oh, there are lots of them in the kitchen cabinet, Honey. Let me take one for you, wait here."

The darkness covering me once again. I take a very deep breath so I won't faint because of my phobia. Petra comes not long after that and bringing two jars with different sizes and puts the big one on the table in front of me.

"Alright, I'll leave you, then. Just call me if you need something, okay?" she walks to the door and opens it, "Oh, hi Cato!" she almost drops her jar because of shock.

Petra hold the door so Cato could come in, and swung it close.

"You didn't faint, did you?" I heard that annoying voice between his panting breath. I shook my head and stared at strange bubbles that moving up and down inside the jar.

"Did the parachute has arrived?" I ask.

"I don't know. They lost the contact with cameras in the arena when the blackout happened. But, the tracker is still working, they can track the tributes and send an aircraft to pick them up." Cato lies down on the sofa, stares the ceiling, "I think there was something wrong going on in this Quarter Quell."

I nod. Of course, there was something wrong going on. I'd see it since the beginning of the game, when the bloodbath happened. It's not a proper thing when some tributes are giving the others a chance to reach the Cornucopia without any single fight. I could see it clearly when some tributes were running slower when Primrose -or they usually called her Prim- run toward the Cornucopia to took the only bow that laying in front of the mouth, and a bow is a weapon that usually placed far inside. It was like the Gamemakers were put it there so she could take it easily without afraid to being sliced.

In my opinion, Prim was not as good as Katniss in using a bow, but I can see that she was accustomed to using it that makes me take a conclusion that maybe the Evedeen's family are all hunters. But, there was another skill on her that I didn't see on Katniss, she is a very capable healer and had a great knowledge of healing plants. She could heal Finnick and Haymitsch' scabbed skins using a handful of leaves, mashed it and mixed it with a juice from a strange yellow fruit that make a black sticky substance. She put them on their scabbed skins and asked them to dry it up under the bright sunlight. Those scabs were gone within a night without any scars left.

Lights has on, but the screen just shows the symbol of Capitol. Vega comes in followed by Petra and her assistants, Emily and Francis. Their faces are pale as ghost.

"What's going on, Petra?" I ask.

"I got a call from the Control Room that the tributes have come back. But they do suspect a rebellion."

"What rebellion?"

"I don't know why, but Primrose's act in that arena was considered as an act of a rebellion."

"Oh, they aren't thinking that Brutus and Enobaria are involved, are they? I mean, District 2 won't take any part of that kind of silly thing."

"I don't know. I used to do a check on them but they didn't let us inside without a mentor."

"Where are they now?"

"In the Tributes Center."

"We are going there, then."

We rush out the apartment and going down by elevator, and half running to the Tributes Center.

"Enobaria!" I scream to a woman with lots of burning scars on her arm. She sits weakly in a bed wearing a hospital gown.

"Where's Brutus?" I ask.

"Haymitch… killed him. After the arena had exploded… when we took a parachute from you." I see tears in her eyes. It was a little bit strange seeing her sad, because she used to be the cruelest killer machine in the arena. I grabbed her hands and told her that everything's gonna be okay, even I'm not sure that everything is okay. Every single strange thing in this Quarter Quell, that explosion in the arena, and Capitol's accusation of the rebellion, seems not just a coincidence. Some people planned this, and there was someone who helps them, someone that wouldn't be caught until the plan was success. But, who was that?

My memory opens a remembrance about a big party on our last day of tour, a big victory party in President's Mansion. My memory stops on a fat man with golden hair and light orange eyebrows, he greeted us near a fountain and introduced himself as the new Head Gamemakers, the successor of Seneca Crane. My memory stops when he shook my hand and said his name, Plutarch Heavensbee.


	19. News From District 8

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything**

**Whoa...sorry for haven't posted for weeks! My thesis was trying to kill me, but thanks God it finished and I just have to wait for my graduation...finally! All those hard works have paid. By the way, thank you for your supports guys, I found out that there were still lots of views on this story even I didn't updated it for a while.**

Chapter 19

"Can't you just stay until Christmas?" I'm watching my parents that packing some stuff in their suitcases. They just arrived last week, and now they have to go again. It's not something unusual that my parents going somewhere for a long time and leave me alone, the only thing that unusual is my feeling about them. It says that something bad may happen.

"I'm sorry, Clove. We have to go. There are not enough doctors in District 8, and they really need some hands to help them." my mother rubs my head and takes something from her wardrobe.

"But, there are lots of doctors in the whole Panem. You don't have to go, just ask someone else there."

My parents just smile and zipped their suitcases, then kiss my forehead and rubs my cheeks before going out through the thick snow, leaving me stand in the doorstep staring at their backs that getting further.

The assumption of the rebellion is true, and I've seen Primrose's face on TV several times, interrupting the channels at some random times, shows some propagandas and ask the districts to join the rebels against Capitol, or she called 'revolution'. But, of course, their acts were useless, at least for my district. There is no one in District 2 that stupid enough to start a war against the Capitol, and why should we do that? I mean, Capitol has treat us specially, gave us more supplies and gifts for the victors, build some training centers for the kids and a special one for train the Peacekeepers which we can enter in for free. Except the obligation for taking place in Hunger Games, there are no more rules that disserve us. Besides, District 2 almost won every single year.

Months have passed, and winter has gone. But until today, the last week of summer, there is no news from my parents, or even some news from District 8. The rebels are still trying to ask the districts to join them, don't they know that they're already lost in the war? Capitol's soldiers are clever and have more weapons than them, and I know that because Cato and I did some trainings in the Peacekeepers Training Center these days. Honestly, we did that because we don't have anything to do after the Quarter Quell ends, there are no tours that we have to attend for because the game didn't have a victor, and we are too bore to stay at home all day. My fear has decreases a little bit and I have my courage back to hold a weapon again. I really enjoyed it when those bullets flying from my gun to my targets, it was better than only threw some knives on them.

I took a bunch of money and place it inside my little bag, then hang it on my shoulder. I walked outside and greet that evening orange sky that makes the road a little bit darker, I plan to go to the town and spreading as much money as I can to the street merchants that couldn't sell their stuff today, even I'm not really need those stuff. Today is not the training day and Cato has gone since afternoon with his sister to a new toy shop in town, so I'll go by myself.

I pass a bush of yellow flowers that Hera was planting in her garden, I think she called them Rue. Ah, yes…Rue…The little girl that died in Marvel's hand, and her district partner was trying to kill me in revenge. She was twelve when she was on Hunger Games, and she'll become thirteen this year if she'd alive, just like Primrose Everdeen.

Primrose…Katniss… what's wrong with those girls? It seems there is something with them that makes me feel so unsafe. I feel like there is something follows them anywhere and anytime, and that thing is trying to kill me.

When I passed at the Town Center, there was an unusual crowd that only happens at the reaping day. In front of the crowd stands a big screen that shows fights at the districts. Some people from Capitol placed it there this morning to warn us how dangerous those rebels are. I've got enough watch them from my TV, with clearer and spotless picture. I'm keep walking, barging the crowd that blocking the way to the shops, when I feel a small hand grips my wrist.

"Clove!"

I turn around and become so defensive spontaneously to whoever touches me. Turns out, it was just a little girl with purple ribbon tied on her blonde hair, one of her hands hug a big teddy bear that almost as tall as her.

"Hestia! What are you doing here? Where is your brother?"

"Cato is shopping. I was so bored and decided to have a little walk."

I sighed. Hestia is Cato's only sibling, and I know that he loves her so much. Cato must be looking for her right now, "You should not do that, Hestia. Cato must has looking for you since he realized that you are gone. Come on, I will take you to him."

"Ha! There you are, little princess!" Cato shouts in front of a bakery and run across the busy street, "Where have you been?"

"Just have a little walk." Hestia said easily, "And I'm not a little princess!"

"And then, what?"

Hestia rolls her eyes, and then swinging her little hands from her head to toe, "See? I've growing up. I will as tall as you soon."

"Whatever, you are still my little princess." Cato nips her cheek and looks at me, "Thank you for keeping her save."

"It's not a big deal, we met at coincidence."

"Where are you going?" Cato takes Hestia's hand, make sure that she won't go anywhere again.

"Nowhere, just get some fresh air. Maybe I will do some shopping."

"Can I go with you?" Hestia jumps lightly and grabs my shirt.

"Of course, little princess." I smiled at her and her face becomes sullen again before finally smiles at me. I laugh, and then imagine how wonderful it will be if I have any siblings.

We walked along the town, went into some shops and bought some stuff and foods until both of my hands are full bringing a lot of paper bags and I decided to buy a shopping bag for handle it. I also bought a big pink cotton candy because I saw that Hestia couldn't move her eyes from it.

It's getting dark when we were walking to the Town Center for going home. The crowd that I saw earlier is getting bigger, lights around the big screen have turned on and I can see clearly what is being displayed there from distance. That screen shows a rerun of bombing in District 12 before flashing several times, having trouble as always. The rebels have a new propaganda to show.

Primrose Everdeen stands in front of a crushed plane. Her face is covered with smut and she's coughing several times when talking.

"I'm in District 8 right now, and Capitol just bombs the only hospital here. There were lots of unarmed kids, man, women, and medical personnel have become the victims of Capitol cruelness…" she swallowed before continuing, tears falling down on her cheeks, "There were no survivors…"

I feel my whole body become extremely weak, my bag falls down and splits out everything inside. My eyes are burned by tears that falling down on my cheeks, my mouth is open without any words and what I heard was only buzzing sounds between Primrose's throaty voice.

"If you ever think, that Capitol will treat us fairly, you are lying to yourselves! We all know who they are, and what they do! This is what they do! And we must fight back!" the screen changes into flashes of bombs that falling down from Capitol's war planes, one of it dropped on top of a cracked building with hospital symbol on the wall and blows every piece of the building to the sky. The camera shoots back to Primrose, close up to her face, "President Snow said he send me a message? Well, I have a message for him too. You can torture us, and bomb us, and destroy our districts to the ground, but do you see that?" camera follows where her finger is pointing, to a burned plane with Capitol's symbol that peeking out between fires, "The fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!"

The shows ended and everything went dark, or maybe everything went dark before the show ended, I don't know. The last thing I know is Cato's panicked face and Hestia shouting my name.


	20. Firefight

**I'm sorry for the delay guys... so many things going on these days. :(**

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything**

Chapter 20

I pressed my hands on that cold glass, my breath creates a little cloud on it. I'm staring through the window, even trying to pass the sky to District 8, hoping that I can find some remains of my parents so I can bury them more properly. But, in fact I can't do that so I give up and crawl up to my bed that covered by lots of clumped tissues and covering my whole body under my smelly blanket. Doing my daily routine, sleeping.

I was interrupted by a rumbling sound from my stomach and realize that my throat has become so dry. I don't remember when was the last time I eat, or when was the last time water has passing my throat, and I don't remember when was the last time I locked my door and was refusing to meet anybody, including Cato. I don't know what is he doing right now, maybe he just sit under an old apple tree near the district boundary with another girl and laugh out loud about how crazy I am. He came several times after my parents died, but finally giving up after I didn't open my door for him and just crying over my parents all day, I thought I'd become crazy. That was make me think, maybe that was what every parent feel when they saw their children being killed by me in that arena. That fact makes me hate myself more than before.

Finally, I'd beaten up by my hunger and I decided to go down to the kitchen. I open the refrigerator and just find some dried fruits and expired breads, those foods must have been kept for a long time since I came out for shopping. I close the refrigerator and take a dusty glass that lining neatly near the sink, I clean up the dust with my t-shirt and fill it with water, and drink it in one big gulp. It was so refreshing and I'm carving for two more. This drinking activity makes me hungrier than before, and I know that I wouldn't be satisfied by drinking only, I need some solid food to fill up my stomach. I left the kitchen and going upstairs to take some money in my drawer, but then I stopped when I look at a big mirror that hanging on my room's wall. For a second, I was confused by someone that staring at me from another world inside that mirror.

That girl is so dirty, so skinny, with sunken and droopy eyes. Her brown hair looks so untidy and lumpy, her lips is so pale and a little bit wet because she's just having a drink. She wears a worn-out white t-shirt that has become a little bit yellowish because of dried snot all over it, with dirty and dry-skinned arms and legs. She's still staring at me, watching all over my body from head to toe with her light brown eyes. I'm so disgusted for a moment, and thinking to kick her out from my house, until I realize that she's me, the pathetic Clove.

I can't go out like this, people will think that I'm a homeless person and they will kick me out from their stores, or even worse, send me to a mental hospital. I need to look more worthy.

I ask my legs to bring me to the bathroom, and then take a long bath with warm water and my favorite strawberry-scented foam, wash my hair with shampoo and rub my dull skin with a beautiful white brush my mother gave to me some years ago while trying to bring myself back to reality, restoring my sanity that had lost for weeks.

I opened my wardrobe and pull out a black long jeans, white shirt with pink cherry blossom pattern and grey jacket from the top of the stack. I wore my clothes and brush my hair while looking out the window. The rain had stop, but there is still some drizzles on top of orange leaves that used to being collected by someone for disposal, Someone has make my yard looks nice and clean, as if there is a sane person who lived in this house, the grass has been mown and there are some pink roses planted near a shade tree that I don't know the name.

I wore my shoes and opened the door that become a little bit stuck because never been opened, the autumn wind greets me, blows my damp hair that lying on my back. Clear and fresh air fills my lungs that full of humid and stuffy air from my room, refreshes my nose that has been producing snots and it's cooling my eyes that have become a little bit puffy because of crying. I close the door very slowly as if I'm afraid to waking up Hera's grumpy cat.

I just arrived at the Victor's Village gate when suddenly I heard a sound of plane, follows by an exploded bomb not far from where I'm standing now. I stopped and checked everything around me, make sure that I'm save. But everything seems okay, nothing had exploded, or maybe a dropped plane, maybe I just hallucinating. My sanity that has been decreased must makes me always thinking that I heard planes and bombs that killed my parents.

I'm keep walking, while pulling my jacket tighter because the weather become colder when the night comes. In a hazy twilight light, I see someone runs toward me, it seems he doesn't know that I'm standing here because he bumped his big body to me, makes me fall of the ground and flowing the dust around me.

"Oh my God! I'm sorry!" he helps me stand, his rough hand feels so familiar.

"Cato?" I asked.

I heard he was squealing slowly, "Clove?"

"Er…yeah, it's me."

"Finally you decided to go out!" Cato hugs me and kisses my head, and then releases his hug and I see his expression has changed, like he just remember something, his eyes are not focus and he's blinking faster than usual.

"Hestia!" he runs to the Victor's Village. I follow him in confusedness. What's going on? The last time I saw Cato acted like that was when he found me crying for him in Cornucopia, an excessive worry expression.

Cato opens the unlocked door, then runs to the second floor and enters a dark room. He turn on the light, and walk as calm as possible to a little girl that sits on the floor and covering her ears with her tiny hands.

"Hestia, hey! It's me." Cato shakes her body and helps her to stand up.

"I'm scared!" Hestia squeaks slowly.

"It's okay, they won't hurt you."

A sound of exploded bomb and the ground beneath my feet is shaking. Hestia screams in Cato's hug and he tries to calm her down by saying that everything is okay, but I know it's not. That bomb must not far from us, and sooner or later it will explodes us too if we don't move from here quickly.

"We have to go now, Cato." I hissed as low as possible so Hestia doesn't hear it.

"I think so." he turns to Hestia who hugs his waist tightly, then crouched down so they are at the same height, "Listen to me, little princess. We are going to have a little evening walk tonight, so I suggest you put your shoes and jacket on. It's a little bit cold out there."

Hestia shakes her head, "I don't want to go anywhere, and you should not leave me! I'm scared!"

The second bomb explodes, it feels so close this time and I know we don't have much time, we have to go now. I would shout or angry to Hestia, but I don't know why I can't, something inside me tells me it useless, so I try to persuade her, even I'm not good though. I rub her cheeks like my parents used to do in the last time we met, and ask her in my calmest voice, "What are you scared of, Hestia?"

Hestia looks at me, I rub tears on her cheeks, "Those people in black uniforms that appears in TV lately."

She must talks about the rebels, but I don't know what they have done these days, how cruel and scary they are because I was so busy with my extreme mourning. Now I regret it because it makes me miss everything going on out there.

"They won't hurt a nice girl like you, Hestia. Cato and I will protect you."

"Really?"

I nod, "I promise. Now, do what your brother told you, okay?"

Hestia runs to the corner of her room and wears a pair of pink sneakers without tied it correctly, and then picks a jacket with purple-flowered pattern on her bed and put it on. Cato carries her on his back and we are running down the stairs as fast as possible. When we open the door, a thick black smoke greets us, makes us coughing and hard to breath.

"Cover your mouth and nose, Hestia!" Cato shouts and keep running through the smoke. We run aimlessly because this smoke also blinds our vision.

"Help! Anybody! Please help me!" I heard a woman shouted. I ask Cato to keep walking to an open place when I'm looking for the source of that sound.

"I will follow you soon!" I said. Cato nods and we run to two different directions. That sound become weaker and weaker and I become more blinded than before because this smoke is getting thicker and darker. I'm coughing heavily and my head starts spinning, my walk become a little bit unstable and suddenly I see a women scrawls weakly through the smoke. I run faster and grab her skinny burned hand.

"I got you, come on!" I take Enobaria's hand around my shoulder and we were walking together in darkness. My eyes are poignant and producing a lot of tears. I rub the darkness to find our way like a blinded man, I step on some breaking glasses and one of it scratching my ankle. I bumped into something hard and cold, and I realized that that's the Victor's Village Gate. I grab the gate for support and take as much air as possible inside my lungs before continuing to walk to an open place.

A plane with Capitol's symbol fling above us to the village, when it get there, I see something black and round flying off from a hole on its body. That black thing dropped on the ground and exploded immediately. We blown away and I lost Enobaria's grip from my hand. My ears ringing and I can't hear anything, I feel blood flows from my right ear.

"Clove!" Enobaria's voice sounded so far, even I see her shakes my body right noe, "Come on, Clove! We have to go!" she helped me stand and we ran staggered as far as possible from that place.

We ran up to the Town Square. This place looks so messy, dead bodies lying on the ground and residents of District 2, which I recognized as the mine workers are holding weapons and joint the rebels to fight against those soldier in silver uniform from Capitol. What happened? What had I miss these days that I didn't know that our district has joining the rebellion?

"Arrgggh!" Enobaria screams when a bullet shots her leg. I see the shooter, someone with silver uniform who holds a gun that pointed to me and ready to pull his trigger when a bullet shots his head. He falls off the ground and I see a rebel in black uniform still aiming his gun. He looks at me, and certainly recognizing me, looks so confused for a moment decided to kill me or not like he said on my victory tour in District 12 as a revenge for Katniss.

We just stare each other for seconds. Suddenly, he aims and shoots at me, strangely the bullet didn't touch me at all, but a Capitol's soldier behind me. That boy runs immediately before I can say thank you, joint with the others in firefight. I turn back to Enobaria and help her, then half dragging her to a safer place while trying to avoid hundreds of flying bullets around us. My deaf ear makes everything worse and I didn't hear a shooting sound when bullets shot my leg and shoulder, makes me lost my grip on Enobaria. I dropped on my knees and trying to hold thick red blood that coming out from where the bullets used to lodged. I feel something hard and cold like the wall of Cornucopia being hit on my nape. I tried to stand and run, but another hit comes on and makes my vision blurry and my head start spinning. I can't hold my body weight anymore, and I fall down and my head hits something hard on the ground. It feels like Thresh is trying to kill me once again.


	21. All About Clove

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything**

**Hey guys! Thank you for your patiences and I'm sorry I haven't updated this story for weeks! I met my first stuck in the plot :(**

**I hope you will like this chapter, and don't forget to give me some reviews about it. Nice or not, it will be my pleasure :)**

**As always, forgive my awful English...**

Chapter 21

My bullet missed and hit the wall behind my target, a little spark comes out when those two things collide. I still can't use my left hand well, even I had do my training for three days. I slammed my gun and take a small knife from the rack and throw it aimlessly toward my target.

"Nice throw." Beetee moves his wheelchair closer to me. I see my knife, sticking right in the middle of red circle in a mannequin doll that stands by a black metal. That doll rocking forward and backward because of the pressure given by my anger that brought by the knife made by Beetee.

I turn back to Beetee awkwardly because of that stupid collar chafes my neck and makes my movements become so limited. Beetee turns his wheelchair and takes a middle-shaped knife with complicated carvings on the sharp side and gives it to me.

"For me?"

"Of course. I made it special for you."

I take that knife and suddenly I feel a great pain on my right shoulder. I forgot that I'm not well yet, and thick bandage still wraps my shoulder in condition to preventing me not to move my right arm too much. I dropped the knife and when it touch the ground, I heard an unusual clinking sound, more like I dropped a twenty pounds of metal instead.

"Whoa! What was that?"

Beetee smiles, and then picks that strange thing, "This is a special knife."

"What's special about it?"

"This knife looks so light, even it is. But, once you press this…" Beetee shows a bracelet with one small red button in it, "This thing will become some kind of magnet having double poles and it will pull every metal around it within a radius of half meters."

"As just happened?"

Beetee nods, "This knife was falling when pulled the metal floor underneath us."

"That's why it was sounded so heavy, wasn't it?"

"Smart girl!" Beetee gives back that knife to me after turning off the magnet, "Don't forget the cover, though. It is still a sharp, normal knife. Besides, the magnet switcher could be a nice accessory for you."

"Thank you, Beetee." I slip my new toys in a pocket in my oversized grey uniform.

The purple tattoo on my hand glows and the words that were "Training" changed into "Meeting at Command". I sigh, I never like this meeting and I've ignoring it several times. However, I'm not worth too much in this meeting because they always talking about propagandas and their invasion plans to the Capitol. Actually, I don't understand at all why they ask me to joint into the meeting, where usually I just yawning and scratching the table with my nails without paying attention at all.

I take a small towel from the metal rack in the corner and wipe down my sweat, then saying goodbye to Beetee.

"You should go to the meeting this time, Clove. They have something very important to tell you." Beetee keep talking while his eyes are on his computer.

"I don't know, maybe I will." I slide the door and close it, then walking to the elevator and press a button to my compartment's floor. I lean my back to its cold wall while it brings me up.

It has been four or five days had passed since they brought me here, in a place where I thought had been destroyed, District 13. They said Gale saved me. He found me lying on the ground almost breathless, with two gunshot wounds, fractured neck, deaf right ear, and purple bruise on my temple. I haven't met him again since he came to visit me in the hospital with Primrose. He's so quite, and never says anything to me which makes me so hesitate to say thank you for saving my life twice. His face was never changed for those thirty minutes of visit that day, so cold and honestly he looks a little bit like Cato when he was killing that blonde girl from District 8. But I don't blame him at all, the fact that he didn't kill me and save me gave me a big relief, at least for now. Gale is like a timed bomb that will explode anytime so Katniss didn't die for nothing.

The elevator stops and the door opens, but I just stare at that empty corridor. I just have to step forward and find a compartment with letter 'E' above it, open its door and greet Buttercup. That ugly cat with golden fur which will hiss to me when there is no Primrose with him.

I pushed another button and the door closed. The elevator brings me upwards two more floors. This floor only has some rooms and there are just a few people walking with their own business without cares what others do, with cameras everywhere following every moving object, even the dust. A little camera follows me sliding the Command's door open.

"Ah, our victor has come! Have a sit and make yourself comfortable." Plutarch greets me happily. I look around that small room for a second and begin to count how many are attending this meeting. President Coin, Plutarch, Effie, Haymitch, and me, that's all. Even Primrose and Gale aren't here, and Cato must still in the hospital.

I walk awkwardly to an empty chair next to Haymitch, who looks healthier and better even there's still a mourn on his sunken eyes because his alcohol has been stopped.

"Okay, I think everything is ready. Let's begin with…" President Coin pulls her chair closer to the table, makes her grayish black hair flows.

"Ready for what?" I asked. Every head on this room turned at me, and I see an unhappy face on Coin when I interrupted her statement.

"Ready for your propo, Honey." Effie moves her pen between her fingers, and flips some paper on her clipboard.

"Propo? For me? Why I should do that? I mean, we already joining the districts, and we are on our way for make a massive attack to Capitol. I don't think another propo is necessary."

"Of course it is." Plutarch smiles and walk around the table to a big screen behind Coin. He touches a little square on it and it shows a map of Capitol with some blinking red circles on some places.

"What's that?"

"It's a map."

I sigh, "I know it's a map, Mr. Heavensbee. I was asking about those red circles."

"Ah, yes. Those are the reason why you should do this propo. As you can see, this is the best map that I can make of the traps in Capitol. I bet there are more traps there, but some of those traps are connected with each other, and I will call them a "chain". That's mean if we can deactivated one of it, the chain with definitely broken and our soldiers and pass it through safely. But we only have one problem here."

"And what is that?"

"Time." Plutarch smiles wider, happy knowing that my brain is still on its good condition, unlike my body.

"Time for deactivated the chain?"

Plutarch nods, "Capitol has a very good security system, but Beetee can break it since he was the one who made it. But he said he will need longer time to do it because the system is too complicated, so we decided to make one last propo to buy some time."

"And why you decided to choose me?"

"Because public want to see someone who start this rebellion. They have been waiting for a long time to see you."

"What?!" I can't control myself not to shout. What was Plutarch talking about? Me? Starting this rebellion? When? Why?

"I think we need to go back to the basic, Mr. Heavensbee." Haymitch wipes his nose and turns at me, "Don't we?"

"I think so." I tried to calm myself down, even my heart still beating very fast waiting for the explanation.

"Alright, then. I will ask you a simple question, what was the last thing you do at the 74th Hunger Games?"

"I-I killed Katniss and Peeta." my voice become so squeaky, and I feel something has reaches my throat and wants to be spilled. I gulped so hard and feel my nose getting warm. I hate this question, what was Plutarch want that he asked me that? Does he want to make me remembering all those awful nightmares?

"Oh no, not that one. I was speaking about when you and Cato tried to fool the Gamemakers by eat those Nightlocks."

My eyebrows are frowned, I blinked several times to make sure that I heard Plutarch said something about me fooled the Gamemakers. What kind of joke is that?

"What do you mean? I didn't mean to fool the Gamemakers."

"But that's what those stupid people was thinking, Sweetheart. There were not many tributes that have such a big courage disobeying their order. If one did, they will do something in revenge to make sure that the same thing won't happen again."

"Like killed my parents?" I asked, more like mumbling, but I want an answer, "They killed my parents because of me?!"

There was a sudden silence in this room. No one seems want to speak, they just stand where they are like stone statues. I don't like being ignored. I want an answer, and it's just 'yes' or 'no'. Despite how everyone react, I can make my own conclusion that the answer is 'yes'.

They were killed because of me, it was not a coincidence that the Capitol bombed District 8 when my parents were there. Somehow they'd know that my parents were there as medical personals, then send some planes and make sure they bombed the hospital. Everything become clearer in my mind, all my mourns for them were caused by my own mistake.

But I could make that not happened, if I knew. I could say sorry to Capitol and I believe they will forgive me based on our cooperation for many years. I would do anything they said and this rebellion will not rise. I can keep my parents alive. If only I knew.

"Why was nobody told me that I was the one who raised this rebellion?" I stare at every face in this room, but their lips are locked.

I turn to Plutarch, "I met you at the victory party. You told me that you were the new Head Gamemakers, but you didn't tell me about my mistake!" I turn to Haymitch, "And I met you several times at Quarter Quell! You could tell me before the game started! But you didn't!"

I stand up and grab the edge of the table in front of me because my blood starts boiling, "You know what I should pay for that? I lost my parents! I could keep them alive if anyone told me!" I kicked my chair and leave the Command. That room is filled with liars and selfish people who only care about themselves and this stupid rebellion.

An elevator stops before I touch the button. Someone with mask coming out and I enter it immediately. After pressed a random button I sit on the floor, fold my knees and crying between them as loud as I can since no one can hear me. I punch the wall several times until I feel my hand is bleed, but I don't care.

"Hey, are you okay?" I hear someone is talking. I didn't know the elevator stopped and someone has coming in. I look at his big feet upward to his face, to his blonde hair that has growing a little bit longer and finally to his blue-sea eyes.

I scream and hug him. I can't control myself not to cry louder. He is the only one who knows almost anything about me, how to calm me down, and how to cheer me up when I was sad or depressed. He moves to press a button, but I don't release my hug until he pushes me.

"That was…shocking."

"I'm sorry. I'm just so happy to see you." I smile between my tears.

"I don't know that you will become that happy to see me. I thought you consider me as your rival."

"My what?"

He rubs his nape, "Er…yeah. I thought you hate me, since I defeated you in the knife throwing station."

I walk closer, but strangely Cato is like avoiding me. Suddenly he becomes so defensive, as if I will punch his face or something.

"Why?"

"You are gonna hit me, don't you? You never like anyone looking at you, or dare enough to talk to you."

"What are you talking about?" I walk two steps backward. His face changes, shows a big relief.

"So, you won't?"

"Why I should do that?"

There is a choked silence that filling that elevator and changes the atmosphere. The elevator stops and the door opens, shows a bright white corridor that looks so familiar for me. The hospital. Cato walks out without says anything, or even turns back to see me one more time.

I hold the door right before it closed, and almost got my fingers clamped. I follow Cato secretly, like spying on tributes behind the thick bushes. He stops at the receptionist, and then walking on to a big room near the bathroom. I walk very slowly to the door after he closed it, and peeking from a small glass on it.

Cato lies on a comfy white bed, with a doctor sits next to him bringing a clipboard. I press my face harder on the glass so I can hear what they are talking about clearly.

"So, let's have a quick review about our last meeting. Give me your identity, Mr. Crowley."

Cato closes his eyes, trying to concentrate, "My name is Cato Crowley. I'm seventeen years old but I will be eighteen two more weeks. I'm from District 2. I have a sister named Hestia. My family and I moved here after our district has destroyed…"

"That's it?" the Doctor clicked his pen, ready to write something on his clipboard.

"That's so far. I can't remember anything else."

"Okay, don't push yourself too hard." he write a small note and turns back to Cato.

"But I got some flashes you told me."

"Oh, great! Can you tell me?"

"But it was a dream, does it count?"

"Yes it does. Maybe it was part of your memories too."

"Okay." Cato takes a deep breath while still closing his eyes, "I was at a very quiet night, facing a campfire with someone on my lap. It was very cold, and she was freezing, so I took off my jacket and covered her under it. I heard her stomach rumbled so I baked some meat in case she will woke up soon, and she did. The first word she said after she woke up was my name, and her voice sounded so familiar. I can tell by her voice that she was in a great pain, so weak and throaty."

"Do you remember what she looks like?"

"She was so small and tiny, but looks too muscular for a girl. She has untidy dark hair tied in a loosen ponytail, and a set of knives tied on her waist."

"What about her face? Do you recognize her?"

"I couldn't see her face clearly, looks so blurry and dark."

"Okay, that's a good progress, anyway. Maybe it was part of your memories about the Hunger Games. I think Capitol cut that part so we don't have the recording to reveal who was the girl."

I closed my mouth with both of my hands, and run towards the exit door. I don't want to hear or see it anymore, every piece of word that Cato said, just makes me remembering those terrible days in that arena. Now I know why he looks so scared and confused when we met, he has lost some of his memories, maybe also his feeling about me. He didn't remember about that moment, when he saved me from Thresh, when he treated me and how we were running away from those mutts.

I run down using the stairs because I'm tired waiting the elevator. I keep running until I found my compartment. I went inside and crawl to my bed, then covering my whole body with my blanket, ignoring Buttercup that hisses at me because I accidentally stepped on his tail. There, I cried inside my pillow until I'm out of breath.

"Clove, are you okay?" that soft, calming voice going through my broken heart and sanity.

I sobbed, "Yeah, I'm okay."

"You can tell me everything, you know. I can keep secrets, even from my mom."

I hate the way she makes me tell my problem, but on the other side I need someone for support right now. I was thinking of kick her out, until I realize that it was me who stay at her compartment.

I sit and wipe down my tears with my blanket. Primrose is sitting on her bed while rubs Buttercup which sleep peacefully on her lap. She has sweat all over her body, maybe she's just has some heavy trainings.

"I met Cato, and he…" I can't say the rest of it. He got amnesia, Clove. That's it.

"Oh…" Primrose closes her mouth. She put Buttercup down and sits next to me, "You already know that he got amnesia?"

I nod, "And no one told me about this, or the fact that I was the one who raised this rebellion. Everyone just keep those secrets from me. What were they thinking? That I'm too weak to know the truth?"

"I don't know why they didn't tell you about Cato, but I know why they didn't tell you about your mistake. You were being watched."

"By who?"

"Almost everyone. Your prep team, Avoxes in your apartment, and I heard that Capitol sent some spies to District 2 to spy on you and Cato. They want to know if you involved in this rebellion or not."

"But why the killed my parents? I was not joining the rebellion yet that time."

"But Capitol thought like that because the other districts start their own riot right after Quarter Quell. We were trying to contact you, to warn you about that after that game, but we couldn't access anything to District 2, even the train. We need more time to finally could do that, and at the same time Capitol sent their armies to kill you."

"Kill me?"

"Our spy on Capitol told us right after we arrived at District 2. So we split up the team, Gale lead the team to find the residents, and I lead the other to find and save you. But when I went to the Victor's Village, that place has been destroyed. Not long after that, Gale contacted me that he found you and I lead the team to him immediately. But after I got there, he said that you had gone. I was so angry at him that time, he should save you first before join the firefight. But he said he had saved you, and he has no more business to you since he wasn't the one who lead the rescue mission."

"But he saved me twice. And I think we both know why he doesn't really like me."

"I know, but that won't bring Katniss back to life."

"Don't blame him. I can understand that. But, my next question is you, why don't you hate me after what I've done to your sister?"

Primrose picks Buttercup after that cat meows so loud and place him on her lap, then rubs his head, "Because you just like her. The way you think, the way you act, just exactly like her. I feel like Katniss is alive inside you. And I love her so much, I don't want her to die again."

"But we were not the same person, Primrose. Katniss was not as brute as me."

"I know you are not like that. I knew you killed her and Peeta because you want to save Cato. Katniss will do the same thing for the one she love."

"How did you know that?"

"Just like when you planned to eat that Nightlocks, you didn't mean to fool the Capitol, you just want to save Cato. You still have heart inside you."

Primrose stands and put the sleeping Buttercup on her bed, then walks to the door, "It's dinner time, do you want to go with me?"

"That will be a great idea. Thank you, Primrose."

"By the way, you can call me Prim. All my friends call me like that, and my sister should call me like that too."

I smile and swing my legs down, "Sure, Prim."


	22. Final Decision

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything**

**Hello again! Thank you for the views and reviews, and I'm sorry for the delay that I've done so many times lately... :(**

Chapter 22

"It's done!" Mrs. Everdeen tidies my collar and bandages that have been removed, then placed them in a clean basket.

"Can I leave now?" I don't like being in hospital for a long time. This place reminds me a lot of my parents.

"Sure. But you still can't do any heavy training, Clove. And I don't want to hear Beetee told me that you're upgrading your training level again."

"I can't promise that."

Mrs. Everdeen sighs, "I know you would say that. You are so stubborn, just like Katniss."

"Prim said I was like her too. But still, we are not the same person."

"Of course you're not. I just thinking that some of your behaviors are like her."

I smiled, "I think I have to go. Thank you, Mrs. Everdeen."

"You're welcome. It's my duty as a nurse."

I open the door and walk on the busy corridor. When I turn at the corner, I spotted someone with bronze hair sitting on a bench while folding his hands and stares the floor.

"Finnick!" I run to him, who looks so surprised like his mind just has coming back from nowhere, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for Annie." he said, more like mumbling.

"Annie? What happened to her?"

"She's giving birth our baby. But it has been almost an hour and there was no news from her."

I sit next to him, "Mind if I'm here with you? Maybe you need some company so you won't be so nervous."

"That will be okay. Everyone just busy with their training."

"They just don't want ignoring the schedule, I guess. But I'm not a scheduled person."

Finnick laughs a bit, then turns at me, "Yeah, I had see that so many times."

"Now, maybe we have to pray for Annie and your baby so they will both save and healthy, right?"

"That would be a great idea."

We both clenched our hands in front of our chest and drown in a deep silence of praying.

"Mr. Odair?" a nurse comes out from the birth room.

"Yes?"

"You have a baby boy!"

I saw tears on Finnick eyes, a happy tear which I feel start gathering on my eyes.

"What are you waiting for? Go meet your son and wife." I pushed him inside. The nurse gave us some space on the metal door so we could go in.

"Clove!" Prim runs to me, followed by Gale and Johanna Mason, "I heard from my mom that Annie is giving birth today. How are she and her baby?"

"I think they are okay. Finnick just came inside."

"Oh! That's relieving."

"At least the war has its bright side for now." for the first time, I hear Gale's voice and see his happy face. He looks so much better like that than his empty, cold-blooded expression.

"So, why do we still standing here? Don't you want to meet Finnick's baby?" Johanna pushed me and went inside. I heard a scream when Finnick greets her.

"He's handsome!" Prim rubs the baby's cheek, "What's his name?"

"George." Finnick puts his son on a white crib next to Annie's bed. She's sleeping peacefully like an angel even her face can't hide that she's just having a big war against death for gave birth her son.

My tattoo glows purple and said "Meeting at Command".

Johanna rolls her eyes, "Oh, that stupid meeting again!"

"I got it too." Finnick look at his tattoo, then shows an unhappy face like that tattoo has said something impolite to him. He kisses Annie's forehead and whispered something to her.

"What a bad time!" Johanna turns at me, "You got that too, don't you Brainless?"

"Yes, Babyhead." I said.

Johanna laughs, "I like that name, Brainless, better than calling me Jo."

"Maybe I will stop calling you that if you hair has grown."

"Ah, it's up to you. I will call you Brainless whenever I want to."

"I think we have to go, Brainless and Babyhead." Gale led us to the exit door, then entered the elevator and pressed a button to the Command floor.

"Hey, don't close the elevator!" Cato runs from his treatment room. Gale holds the button and he comes in, makes a different atmosphere in the elevator, at least for me. From the corner of my eye I saw Johanna smirked at me.

"Whoa! The victors and soldier Hawthorne! Come in, come in. Let's have a sit." Plutarch greets us as happy as he used to greet me some days ago. I don't know why he acted like that, I didn't see the point why he should be so happy whenever he saw us. Like we would gave him some luxury presents or delicious foods, "And I'm so happy to hear that your son has been born today, Mr. Odair."

"So, what it's all about this time?" Johanna pulls her chair closer to the table, making an annoying sound when the chair scratching the metal floor.

"It's all about our invasion to the Capitol next Monday, Miss. Mason."

"Finally I have a chance practicing all of my trainings elsewhere than that stuffy special training center." Johanna gives a pressure on her voice on the 'special' word.

"Special training center?" I asked. I remember that I never saw Johanna, Prim, Finnick, or Gale when I did my training. I thought they got different schedule, then I realized that from everyone who attending this meeting, it was only me that being scheduled to trained there.

"That's what I used to call that place before I found another proper name, Miss. Arvanite. A special training center for special soldiers." Plutarch smiles widely, when I'm stuck in confusedness.

"What special about them?" I feel a jealousy inside my question because I was not counted as the special one.

"They have to do some test before finally trained there, so they would be more prepared to being sent to the Capitol for the invasion."

"So, only those who trained there that would be sent to Capitol?"

Plutarch nodded, "Extremely right!"

"If I didn't being trained there does it mean that you won't send me?"

Plutarch blinks several times, realizing that he had say something wrong by told me about that special training center..

"Despite on your condition these days, we didn't want to take the risk, Miss. Arvanite." Coin distracted my eyes from looking at Plutarch and turn at her.

"I was okay these days, and I was healthy enough to do heavier trainings."

"But still, we can't take the risk."

"What risk?"

"We can't send an untrained one to the battlefield."

"So, do you think I'm an untrained one?" I'm starting scratching the table with my nails to take down the heat inside my head. One more disparaging word comes out from Coin's mouth and I will explode.

"I don't think so. I believe you are well-trained, Miss. Arvanite. But, we need more capable soldiers to go to the Capitol, for those who have spent at least three days of training in the special training center."

"Just let me in."

"Not that easy." Coin leans her back at her chair, "You need to pass some tests, and we don't have enough time to do that."

"Why not? We still have four days before Monday."

"But you have to make your propo."

"I didn't say that I agreed to do that."

"So now is the right time to make your decision."

"I would say yes, if you let me in."

Coin sighs, then shakes her head and moves her body closer, "I won't let you in."

"So you can find someone else to do that propo. Cato, for example? He was a victor too."

The room becomes very quiet so you can hear a dropped needle. Every head turns at me with various expressions. I saw Johanna and Haymitch smiled, when Effie and Plutarch looked at me with their 'shut up' face. I turn to Cato, who looks so confused after I said his name.

Coin cleared her throat, "No, we can't ask Mr. Crowley to do that propo."

"Why?" I asked.

"He's still in a treatment to gain back his lost memories."

"Oh, really? Wow, I'm surprised!" I couldn't control myself not to be so cynical, not only to Coin, but everyone who hides secrets about me. They had their turn for torture me little by little, and it's my time to slap their faces. Coin holds her breath and her face turns red as she tried to hold her temper. I smiled, really enjoying what happened in front of my eyes.

"Ahem! May I speaking here?" Haymitch raises his hand and blinks at me before turns at Coin, "I think we don't have any other choices, Mrs. President. Public were dying to hear anything from them, and due to Cato's condition we can't take him inside the plan. If Clove doesn't agree to do that propo, Beetee won't have enough time to break the security system and it means we will send our soldiers to death." Haymitch paused and looked around that room, "Plus, as a resident of the district that had been cooperating with the Capitol longer than anyone, she has more knowledge about them. She knows more about the way they think, their strategies, and their weakness. I think it will be great to send her to the battlefield."

Coin just stares at the empty air, moving her black eyes around breaking through the dust. No one seems want to speak, like their mouth has been stolen. I stop scratching the table and pull my chair back, then grab the edge of the table to give me more support to stand. Yes, I plan to leave this room. There's no use waiting for something uncertain, I rather use my time for training. My eyes like the view of flying knives than wordless people.

"Okay, I will send you to the Capitol if you pass the tests, Miss. Arvanite."

I stopped at the doorstep and turn around, a little bit surprised of what I heard. From where I'm standing right now, I can see everyone looked at me, and I couldn't resist the desire to look at Cato, to his blue eyes that brought the pain and open up a full memories about District 2, about my house, about my parents, about their death.

"I have one more requirement."

Coin raises her eyebrows, "I'm listening."

"I want the privilege to kill Snow."


	23. The Painful Room

**Disclaimer : I don't own Hunger Games. It belongs to the brilliant Suzanne Collins.**

**Hello everyone! I'm sorry this chapter comes soooooo late. I was trying to deal with my depression first before I can continue writing. I know that was not something you want to hear from me, and I know it won't make any sense. I just want you to know the reason why I didn't update this chapter earlier. That depression affected my writing skill (well, I'm not the really skilled one LOL) and mood. But I'm better now and enjoying my after college life again, which is the real new life for me, haha.**

Chapter 23

That thing that they called breakfast is moving up and down inside my throat. I tried to swallow it, but it consisted to come out. If only I won't do my final test this morning, I wouldn't torture myself by chocking myself. But, thanks God there is no more people in this place than me and a group of blonde hair that sit about three tables from where I'm now, alone near the trash can.

A small but shocking tap on my shoulder broke my defense and I spit out everything inside my mouth.

"Eww…" Hestia took several steps backward while watching a clump of white and disgusting wet thing on the table.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I said curtly while whipping down my mouth.

"I-I-I didn't mean to…"

"Leave me alone!"

"I'm sorry, Clove. I just wanna ask if you're ready to answer my question."

I sigh in anger and take a napkin that hanging on the wall and clean the massive mess on my table. I can still hear Hestia is sniffing even I'm trying to ignore it, adding another sadness and guilt inside my heart. That innocent little girl haven't get any kindness from me since she came out from the hospital two days ago. Whenever I saw her, there's always some kind of anger boiling inside me. Her sea-blue eyes are too much like someone I hate lately, even the reason is not his fault. She always asked why I never spoke to Cato again, and when will I ready to answer that question which make me even more frustrated.

The purple tattoo in my hand is glowing, gave me a sign it's the time to leave to the Special Training Center to face my final test. Prim told me that this test will be a little bit different from the basic tests I passed before, when I realized that I've become the old Clove again, a bold-thirsty killer and a Career who will do anything and everything to get what I want. I've lost some of my kindness and maybe some of my humanity, but gained more royalty to this district. The judges praised my skills, and told me that I would be a dangerous enemy if I'm on the Capitol's side.

The elevator dinging and stops at floor 37, it opens and shows a metal door with lots of scratches on it, which is the only door I've seen in this floor. The door slides automatically when I'm standing in front of it, giving a hazy landscape of an untidy room that smells mostly like sweat.

"Clove Arvanite, I'm reporting for the final test." I said to a middle aged woman with sleek face and red hair that sits behind the table. She is busy with sorting some envelopes and papers, seems doesn't know or doesn't care if I'm standing in front of her.

"Clove Arvanite!" I shout at her and doesn't realize that my knuckles that pounded the table was surprising her. She turns her chair to an aluminum rack and pull out a drawer with 'A' letter nailed near the handle, and took a brown paper bag then give it to me with shaking hands and shocked face.

"Only this one?"

She nods, and then back to her previous business, picking and sorting envelops and papers.

"Er…. Do you need anything else?" she looked at me, her green eyes are blinking very fast from her thick square glasses.

"No." I pulled that brown paper bag and walk away. I feel that she's still stare at my back because when I turned around, she dropped a pile of papers for the reaction of my sudden move. I don't know why, but there's a big desire inside me to know more about her. Her face looks familiar, and I swear I wasn't dreaming when suddenly I saw another girl sits on her chair, doing the same thing she did before. She has her physical appearance, but she looks ten years younger.

The fox-faced girl from District 5 who smart enough to took the first time to get her bag at the feast in Cornucopia. I didn't know her name, and I think nobody knows. She didn't have any friend, even she didn't make alliance with her district partner. She acted herself, surviving with her pure skills, and avoided the war. The Careers never met her, or we never thought that she was exist. She was smart, but she died at the end because of her less knowledge about Nightlock. The Capitol recorded that moment, when she was sneaking into Peeta's food supply that turned out to be her ticket to death. I sigh, a memory about Hunger Games is the best appetizer before the main course. I hope I will get a nice dessert for this.

I look at my paper bag while walking, which is strangely so light. I stop in front of my test room to rip it, only to find a medium box with wood pattern inside. I knocked that box, it gave me a nice shrilly sound that indicated that there's a room inside, and it must be has something hidden there. I tried to open it, but I couldn't. This box is a full whole box, without any hinge or key hole. I ripped the rest of the paper bag, if I missed something, but there's nothing than empty air inside.

The green lamp above the door in front of me was glowing when I threw those ripped paper to the trash bin, gave me a sign the test will start and ask me to come inside. I put my headset and put my box on my pocket, then slide the door and walk inside that big room with hazy light from the torches that hanging on the wall. An unknown wind blows inside, makes those torches dancing in the dark and gave a sudden creep on my nape hair.

"Soldier Arvanite, you can begin your test now. Your weapon is inside the box given to you."

Oh yeah, that strange little thing. I take it out, observe it seriously for the first time. The surface is too slippery for a wood, but not cold enough to be a metal. It gave an oily stain when I was rubbing it hardly. This thing has a familiar smell, and has a soft shaving when I scratched it, something like… wax! This thing is wax!

I looked around, staring at those torches that dancing faster on the wall. Those things are not only for lightning, or so I think. I can melt my wax box with them, if only I can reach one it, which is placed about a meter above my head. I spotted something like a black big box, laying silently at the center of the room. I run to it immediately, try to push it with all of my strength, but it only moves about five inches with annoying scratching sound like what Johanna Mason did with her chair when we were at the Command.

Sweat falling down from my forehead, covering my whole face like a mask. I sit on the floor and lay my back on the giant cold black box, trying to bring some of my energies back. I think I started get dehydrated, and I swear this room become hotter than before.

"Clove!"

That sudden voice surprised me, makes my heart almost bumping out from my mouth. It's not because that voice broke the extreme silence in this room that shocked me, but, because I know who said that.

"Mom?" I hissed. I'm sure I wasn't dreaming, that voice was real!

"Mom!" I run around that room, looking for her in every corners and behind the shadow of the ruin of an abandoned building. But I couldn't find anything than spider webs.

"Clove!" that voice is echoing again, louder this time.

"Please get us out of here!" another voice was vibrating my eardrum. A deep voice of a wisest man I've ever know, accompanied by coughs and painful moans.

"Mom! Dad!" my eyes begin to cry. Tears mixed with sweat covering my cheeks, my lips are shaking and my feet suddenly become extremely weak as if my skeleton has been stolen. I try to grab the edge of the giant box for support.

"Clove!"

"Help us!"

Those voices talks almost at the same time, and sounds very close. I still in confusedness mixed with panic when I surprised by a knock inside the box, followed by a sudden shake like something inside is trying to escape. _"They are inside!" _I shouted to myself, _"They are alive!"_

Without wasting any more time, I pulled the box's lock, but it seems useless. I start panicking, I don't know what to do and my parents start knocking harder while shouting my name, and I can tell from their voice that they are starting to lose their breath.

"Run, Clove! Run!" another voice shouted between the knocks.

"Cato!" I shouted. My body becomes weaker and weaker, while the room becomes hotter like a giant oven that will bake us alive. My lips has dried because of the worse dehydration.

They kept my parents the whole time, hide them while I was starting to lost my mind because of the endless mourn of them, and now they took them out from wherever they hide them and torture them to test me? They even bring the half amnesia Cato in the game to make it more interesting, to bleed my heart even more. What kind of test it is?!

I have to help them no matter what happens, or they will die for sure this time. I run to the ruin, looking for the biggest and heaviest stone I can find, and bring it back to the box then smash it to the stubborn lock that teasing me for my failure.

With lots of anger, I throw the rock to the lock, creating a little spark when those things collided. The rock turns back to my nose, and told me that what I did was not make any sense, only waste the time.

The spark gave me an idea, not a brilliant one but I can give it a try. I put the stone inside my pocket and run to the ruin and collecting some dry grass that I don't have any idea how it could grow on the metal floor, but it doesn't matter as long as this grass could be burned.

I arranged the grass under a torch with biggest fire on it, make it like a comfy little pillow and put my wax box on top of it, then cover it again with thin layer of grass. I took out my stone and try to concentrate, calculating and predicting where I will throw it. This thing is heavier than knives, but I can handle it, what I need to do is finding the right spot to make the torch fall, and that's it! Hides on the shadow, a curvy metal between the straight ones that hold the torch on the wall, nailed loosely.

I set my focus and throw my stone with my full strength, but suddenly, I heard my father calls my name, asking my help. That made me lost my focus and my stone hit below my target. I try again, but this time my sweaty hand failed me. On the third try, I heard a clinking sound of metal, indicating that my shot was hit the target precisely. The torch fell down like a cotton and landed on top of my grass sandwich, burn it immediately.

The flame turns green when it touches my wax box, melts it, and reveals another black box between the melted wax. I ripped my thin and worn out grey uniform and wrap my right hand with it. I put the fire down before take the black box, still a little bit warm, but become cooler so fast after I take it from the embers. I slide the lock, and found a silver short-gun greets me, wants to be used.

I take the gun and run back to the giant black box, aiming its lock and triggering the gun, creating a small explosive when the bullet and the lock collide. I opened the box's door as fast as possible, and preparing myself to meet my parents.

A black bird flew from the box and landed on top of it, like waiting for something. Another bird came out after I pulled the box wider, and more birds follow it as I open the box.

"Clove!" my mother shouts from the box. I run inside to find her, worried that something bad might happen to her that makes her can't walk outside the box. I walk deeper and deeper in the box, but I only find more black birds lining on the box's floor, stare at me with their furious look.

Without any command, those birds fly right toward me, trap me between their flapping wings. And then I heard more voices, and I realize they come from the birds. I've been fooled, there's no one inside, only hundreds of Jabberjays who copying those voices to lure me inside, trap me, and pecking every inch of my thin uniform through my skin, making hundreds of new scar and pain all over my body.

"Stop! Please stop!" I pressed my hands on my ears, trying to stop those painful voices that filled my eardrums. Lots of voices, and all seems in pain. Not only my parents and Cato, they also have the voice of Hestia crying, Achilles and Hera calling me for help, followed by a loud sound of bomb exploded, and then I heard Peeta when those mutts tear his body apart, completed by the sounds of Prim, Mrs. Everdeen and Katniss that blame me for his death. I curled on the floor, swallowing sores between the high heat that fills the box. I'm like a small turkey that cooked for Thanksgiving.

"Please..." I gulped, "Stop…" my voice become so throaty since my throat is extremely dry of dehydration. This tortures me more than have my body bleed. Who knows that voices could be so painful? It's more powerful than weapons, more frightening than the dark, it brought me down into the deepness of the sea of guilt, it makes die looks so much better.

I don't remember how long I was shouting and crying, when I heard the sound of flapping wings was getting lower and lower. Those birds left me and flew outside the box, gave me time to wake up, but the pain told me to stay down. I smell the scent of blood mixed with sweat, and found out that my whole grey uniform turns into reddish grey, the only thing that wasn't touched by those birds were my head and shoes, still clean as before.

"Soldier Arvanite, you… you can go to the exit door now. Don't forget to bring your weapon and give it to the soldier outside. Your test has finished." Boggs says in a shaking voice, and I can feel empathy inside his voice but I can't tell why. He was the one who arranged this test for me, and I don't see the point why he should take pity on me.

"Where's… the exit door, Commander?"

"Fifty meters on your left, just follow the green light."

After gained some energy, I crawled outside the box and pick my gun that laying on the entrance of the box. I must dropped it there when I run inside, hoping that I would find my parents. I try to stand and walk with a stagger to the green light that looks like a giant apple lollipop pinned on the wall. I stretched my hand to the the metal door, but it seems getting further whenever I try to reach it, like pulled away from my hands, makes me walk like a zombie.

I don't know it was just my illusion or I saw a thick white smoke came out from a crack on the floor, not so far from the exit door. The smoke become thicker and thicker, and soon covered my vision. I walk through it, and bumped into something hard and cold inside the smoke, something that has bars.

Slow but sure, the smoke began to thin out. I found myself trapped inside four wall bars, make a giant bird cage with only one way out of here, by climb it to the top and jump, something that I definitely can't do with my condition right now. I still in confusedness while I saw something passed the bar from nowhere, something that I hope wouldn't ever exist.

That mutt stares at me with its green, glowing eyes. I see his snot moving, like it smells something and I realized it was the scent of my blood. It looks more realistic than a hologram, but I never heard that District 13 has creating mutts. Whatever it is, it would kill me if I just standing here and not doing something to save myself.

I raised my hand that hold the gun and aim it to the mutt's heart. My hand is shaking badly, and my vision is not in its best condition. I pulled the trigger, and a silver bullet flew to the mutt's eye, slows its movements, but not kill it. I take my second aim, trying to make myself relaxed this time and pulled the trigger again, hoping that I will did it this time.

That mutt fell off the ground just before it stretched its claw to me. Blood runs from where my bulled used to lodged, indicating that this mutt is real, but if it's real, how could it passed the bars?

I turn around and sliding my hand on the bars, they are very soft like cotton on the random parts, but also as hard as how a metal should be on the other parts. This cage has a weakness, and I should find it before another threat coming. I walk to the bars where the mutt used to pass, but it's so hard right now. I even slammed my hand on it to ensure, and got my hand swelled.

Another mutt passed the bars, this time it comes from the bars line on the right side. It has brown eyes, with curly dark fur. I take two steps back and shot it with my gun, deal with it in one shot. Now there are two mutts lying on the ground, with both two shots on their heart. I'm panting, even I got the best score at my shooting test, killing a living creature still a big deal for me, and looking at them with flowing blood makes my body shaking even worse.

The third mutt comes from the bars across me, and this time I got paralyzed, I can't even lift my hand or move, and kill it will be the hardest thing I do in this test. This mutt has sea-blue eyes, with straight blonde fur, a representation of Cato, like what I had in my nightmare months ago.

"Cato…" I walked toward it, which swung its claws on my face in respond. I scream in pain and covering my face with both of my hands, trying to hold the thick blood that blinding my eyes. I heard that mutt growls before it jump on top of me, pinning me down on the floor and make me lost my grip on my gun. It stares at me with the fierce look, and I know it will kill me. I have to stop thinking that it was Cato and finish it before everything's too late.

I bumped my head to that mutt's skull, makes it loosening its grip on my shoulder. I take the very short time to roll it down and take my weapon, then take the aim. But this mutt is faster and smarter than the previous two, it climbs the bars just before my bullet shot it. I cleaned the blood that runs down inside my eyelids to get a better vision, but that mutt has move to the other side of the cage when I aimed my gun again. I feel a hot breath on my left, knowing that that mutt must be there and turn around, shot it when it jumped toward me. But, my shot only graze its shoulder. I try to trigger another shot, but nothing comes from my gun. I've run out of bullets.

"Enough!" I heard Boggs shout from my headset. He yelled at someone behind him, away from the microphone. The mutts suddenly fell off the ground and stop moving. I kick it with the tip of my shoe from distance, aware if it would get up and attack me. But this creature didn't respond, it just lay lifeless, leaving me in confusedness.

The bars began to moving down, and I just stare it for a moment.

"You can leave now, Clove." Boggs said in a very soft, calm voice.

Suddenly, the pain that I'd forgot for a moment because of the whole mutts thing comes back, even worse this time. I try so hard to reach the door, then push a button that slide it open. The blood on my face starts running again, covering half of my vision. I feel some arms got me, help me walk and put me on a comfy bed. I heard some bees buzzing around me, one of it stings my waist and I feel a relaxing sensation that pulls out the pain out of me. Not long after that, those bees began to stop buzzing, gave me a great silence and calmness I needed to surf the dreamland.

**Whoaaa... that was the longest chapter I've ever wrote so far. I hope you liked it :)**

**xoxoxo**


	24. The New Face Of Rebellion

**Hello there everyone! I'm so sorry this chapter comes after ages! It was a little bit tricky to do this one. I've wrote so many versions for this chapter, and I would have published it a long time ago if I didn't make several changes about the plot. There were some twists I found whenever I made it, and it led to another story-changing over and over again. But, finally I've decided how this chapter should be, and I hope you like the final decision I made for this one.**

**By the way, thank you for keep checking this fanfict even I have been a bad author for about…maybe two months. I still got a lot of views every day, and those really made my days. **

**You are the best reader I ever had, all of you.**

Chapter 24

_I'm blind._

That was the first thing I had in mind, but it didn't come without reason. It was so hard to open my eyelids, until I realize there were two cottons and a rough fabric that hold them. I tried to remove them so I could reveal what was the noisy sound that vibrating my right eardrum.

There is a pressure changing in the left side on my bed. Someone grabs my hand just before I touch my bandage. Her skinny and rough fingers are so cold, maybe she was grabbing the bed's frame the whole time. I swear there are hundreds of invisible ants crawling and covering her arm right now.

"Don't touch it!"

I was paralyzing for a moment. Inside the wrap of my bandage, I rolled my eyes to where her voice used to be heard. I'm waiting for Hera to spoke, but there was only a choking silence for about ten seconds before I shout to her.

"Where have you been?!"

The door slammed open, followed by a clinking sound like some metals are colliding. Hera releases my hand and run to the door.

"It's okay. No need to be sedated again."

"I heard she was yelling!" another sound answered, her voice was so shrill compared to Hera.

"She just surprised, that's all."

The door closed and I feel Hera's body heat comes back to me. My ex-mentor than pulled a chair closer to me, and bent down so her lips are in the same height with my left ear.

"I would tell you what happened, if only you can keep your mouth shut. I don't want another nurse with drugs come in and injects you with them."

Hera stopped for a while to give me a chance to nod, and then started to hiss in a very low voice that makes me turn my head so I can hear what she's talking about clearly.

"Something happened, something strange and horrible…" she started, "Some victors got some kind of terrors, or I should call horrible pranks, right after you did that test."

I open my mouth to say something, but Hera touches my shoulder slowly to ask me to keep silent and listening.

"The first one was you. The doctor said that there were lots amount of Tracker Jacker venom in your blood, probably injected intentionally just before you were brought to the hospital. After a little investigation, they found a bottle half-filled with the venom, labeled as anesthetic. You turned into an uncontrolled one after the venom works, and hurting some medics including Eveline. She treated your scars and you scratched her hand as a thank you."

"I didn't do that!"

"Yes you did! But you don't remember, of course. That's the side effect of that venom."

Guilt was poured on me, from head to toe. Another Everdeen's family member hurts because of me.

"Hey! Are you still listening?"

"Yeah, keep going."

"Finnick and Annie found a rusty needle inside George's crib. Thank God they saw it before put their son inside. Prim and Eveline trapped in an elevator, long enough to almost made them out of breath. Beetee's computers were infected by viruses that removing all of his works, but he already made the backup days before and restored them easily..."

Hera stops a while to take a breath before fills my ear with carbon dioxides again.

"… Haymitch could not stop talking like a crazy and walked like a zombie a whole day because someone exchanged his medicine with a high-dose of alcohol drink, and Enobaria found a dead rat under her bed."

"What about you and Achilles?" I asked.

"Looks like someone thought that it would be funny to put some fire balloons under my pillow. The flames burned some of our hairs."

"How could they do it? I mean, whoever it is, they need a key to get inside your compartments."

"And must be as slick as an eel to did all of those pranks."

"They should be living here, watching all of us from the day one."

"And it could be anyone."

"But they must have been knew all of us very well, from our schedules to our weaknesses."

There was another silence between us. The thing that keeps beeping was the only sound I heard. Hera moves closer, close enough so I can feel her lips are touching my earlobe when she speaks.

"Do we have the same thing in mind, Clove?"

My forehead was frowned and I could feel my eyelids were frowned too behind the bandage, "They were rebels?"

I heard Hera sigh before she moves again, and I can imagine a happy grin curved on her lips.

"I think we don't need telepathy to read each other's mind."

"I learned from the best." I said.

A very soft touch shakes my hair, followed by squeaky sound when Hera pulled her chair to take my blanket and cover me under it.

"Wait! What about Cato?"

"He's fine, and didn't get pranked."

"Well, that makes a sense."

The door opened slowly, but the sound was strong enough to surprise both of us. Hera tried to hide her gasp, and speak as normal as possible when the opener's footsteps stop in my right side.

"You surprised us, Eveline."

"I'm sorry. I should knocking first." said Mrs. Everdeen between the clinking sounds she makes.

"Do I need to get out?"

"Actually, I would need some help." she answered, "Are you still have a headache, Clove?"

"No."

"Great. I will remove the bandage, so I need you to sit. Just do it slowly, we'll help."

Two pairs of hands hold my shoulders and back, and then help me to get up slowly until I reach my most comfortable sitting position. A soft pillow was already placed to greet my back, replacing the cold and hard bed frame.

"Just relax, okay?"

Another clinking sound, which I hope the last one I will ever heard for today. A scissor cuts the edge of my bandage, and then the layers become thinner and thinner. I just can feel it removed from my temple, since my eyes are still covered by cottons.

"I'm sorry about your hand, Mrs. Ever…"

"Eveline." she cut my word, "And it wasn't your fault."

"Where's Prim, by the way?"

I don't know why, but suddenly everything turns silent after I asked that. The last layer of my bandage never removed, and I could hear a gasp from one of them.

"What's wrong?"

"We'll talk about it in my compartment." Hera said in a low voice.

"Yeah, there would be better." Eveline continued.

If Hera is a stranger, I would force her to told me now, no matter what. I'm waiting without any sound and movement until Eveline done with my bandage-removal procedures. It takes a while for me to adapt from the dark world behind my eyelids to this bright room. It's smaller than the one that I used weeks ago, with only one chair inside, indicating that not everyone could come in. When Eveline took off my infusion, I saw both of my wrists are bruised.

"You have to eat your dinner after this, and you are allowed to go out."

Eveline put a metal tray on my lap, which has a bowl of porridge and a glass of warm milk, then smiled and stroking my hair before went out bringing her medical tools. I saw her eyes are a little bit wet, with red lines covering almost all of their white area. She must be crying about one or two hours ago, and it was not an ordinary type of crying.

"Let me feed you." Hera stretched her hand to take the spoon, but I rejected her.

"I can do it myself."

The porridge comes inside my mouth spoon by spoon. That warm, a little bit salty with some chopped celeries thing walks down trough my throat in silence while Hera keep watching without blinking, where I have no idea how she could do that. After I finished, she took a new grey uniform from the metal cupboard next to my bed and gave it to me.

"Take a shower and change. I'll be waiting outside."

After emptying a glass of almost-flavorless milk, I go to the bathroom. My body feels stronger after I ate some real foods, not only those strange liquid that flows on my blood for… well, I don't know how long exactly.

That smelly hospital-uniform has taken off one by one, revealing someone who would make me run out naked immediately if I didn't know that that person was me. I'm look like a Dalmatian mutt, with black-ish scars covered my whole body and a purple bruise on my nose where that stone used to hit me. There are two stitched scars on my right eyelids to the nose bridge and some of my left cheek. That mutt's scratching also ripped my left eyebrow and the upper part of the eyelid under it.

After had my body all clean and fresh, I met Hera who had waited me in the lobby. She was talking to someone when I came in, who greeted me in a strong hand shake even his finger bones are printed on his tanned skin.

"This is how a victor should look like." Achilles smiles proudly as if I had won another Hunger Games. His eyes are a little bit sunk than the last time I saw them.

"If what you mean is dreadful, I am."

Achilles smirked, "Looks so tough."

"Let's talk somewhere else." Hera shakes her pockets, showing a rattling sound when keys met metal key-chain. I followed them to the elevator, which brought us several floors down before stopped. Hera led us to a compartment and opened it, then asked me to went in first.

This compartment is smaller than mine. There are only one bedroom that nailed on the wall, a wardrobe, and a small metal table with nothing on it than an empty flower vase, and two pairs of shoes under it. I sit on the edge of the bed, followed by Hera, when Achilles sits on the floor.

"Okay, can anyone tell me what's going on?" I asked without any more chit-chat. Talking to them doesn't need that.

"The Main Squad went yesterday. They should had arrived in the Capitol a few hours ago, but we haven't hear anything…"

"Wait, what?!" I cut her words, "They went there without me? No one even told me that I was failed."

"You were not. I could say that you were completely success. But, due to your condition, Cato took over your place."

My forehead frowned. Hera must be kidding, or I there is something wrong with my ear.

"Coin asked him, because there was no one in her opinion that good enough to replace you."

"This is crazy!"

Achilles laugh, "I think so. I really am."

I turn to him, "What about the propo?"

"Our beloved President had asked your former boyfriend."

"And… just like that? He came from nothing to the most important person in this rebellion."

"I can tell Coin was preferring him to become the face of this rebellion than Prim."

"And we can't do anything against that."

I look at them one by one, like I'm their mentor who gives them some great advices, "Oh, come on! Since when you guys become such an obedient? You could fight her arguments easily."

"If we were in District 2, I would totally agree with you. But, we're not, Clove. Everything happened down here, in and out, must be under her command and approval. No matter how tough you are, or how many words come out from your mouth, no is always no."

"And we will just stay here? Waiting for them to come back in body bags?"

"Not for the part of them in body bags." Hera stands up and takes something wrapped with black cloth form her wardrobe and give it to me, "For you. Luckily, whoever pranked us didn't steal it."

I opened it and found some knives with colorful handles lining neatly in a leather bag. I slide my fingers on them, and my skin knows what's a nice knife looks like. It's been a long time since I touch a real knife, which could cause a really bad damage and scar, but treat me like a real master, and promise me never take any drop of my blood. These knives are different, like there is a strange connection between us.

"They are beautiful, thank you."

"Beetee made them. Let me show you." Hera took them and pulled out a red-handled knife and opened its cover.

"This is an explosive knife. Just stuck it wherever you want and wait for twenty seconds."

"Red, explosive. Okay." I take a green-handled knife that catches my eyes the most, maybe because this is the only one that has complicated carvings on the handle.

"Ah, yes. My personal favorite. Be careful with that. It has poison all over the blade."

I took off the cover and staring at that shiny sharp metal. This knife is smaller and has unusual shape, like the one you used to put some peanut butter on bread. It attracts my doubt if this knife could really hurt or not, so I plan to test it with my point finger.

"What did I say about being careful?!" Hera takes it just before it touches my finger, then put on the cover and place it back to the bag, "The poison is really dangerous! Your meat could be decomposed and there would nothing than amputation so it wouldn't spread all over your body."

"Okay. I'm sorry."

With her upset-face, Hera continues her 'tour'. This time, she showed me the white-handled one.

"This knife could subliming into pusher-gas. See this button?" she points to a small, black button on the handle, "This is the trigger."

"If I don't push it, will the gas still comes out?"

Hera shakes her head, "Its sharpness is the only thing you should be afraid of."

"What about this one?" I took the last knife. It has black handle and looks really comfy to grab.

"Beetee thought you might need a normal knife. Maybe to cut a rope or something."

"And what's that empty slot for?"

"I think you have another 'special knife'." Achilles said.

Ah, yes. That magnetic knife. I think I put it under my bed if the pranker didn't steal it, and I hope he didn't.

"Does Coin know about it?"

"Only that Beetee made some normal knives for you, and those colors are just for decoration." Achilles raised his eyebrows, "Everything happened here was under her approval, remember?"

"But… I won't go to the Capitol. Cato takes my place, remember? These would be useless." I feel a small poke somewhere near my heart which makes me like just being woken up from a nice dream about got a set of special knives. It sounds cool if I could use it in the firefight, along with practicing my shooting skill. But, the fact is I'm stuck here, deep under the rough soil they called District 13, where the only place I could throwing any knives was in that stuffy training center.

"You will."

"How you can be so convinced?"

"I don't know if it was only a coincidence. But, Coin put all volunteers from District 2, except you, in the Backup Team."

Achilles points me with his finger, "And since Cato took your place, that means you got his in that team."

"You need some rest." Hera take a big sigh, "I just have a strong feeling that they will send us soon."


End file.
